By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOTEnergy sector developments and increasing demand for facilities to handle both project cargo and containerized freight are among factors propelling progress at ports of the Texas Gulf region. Here’s a port-by-port rundown of the latest at Texas Gulf ports, starting at the Louisiana state line and heading down the coast to the Mexican border: PORT OF ORANGE The offshore energy service industry is keying growth at the Port of Orange, with activities including rig construction and the building and repair of vessels. Port tenants added in the past year include Latex Construction, which is building a liquefied natural gas pipeline project, and Neches Marine & Fabrication Inc. and Bludwurth Marine, engaged in service and repair of oceangoing barges. A $2.4 million rail renovation project is in its final stages of improving connections with Union Pacific rail, while a recently opened United Resin Enhancement Services facility is involved in bagging of plastic resin pellets. The pellets currently are being trucked in containers to the Port of Houston, but Orange port officials are hoping the goods eventually will be moved by barge to Houston, New Orleans and other points. PORT OF PORT ARTHUR The purchase of 75 acres of waterfront property to the west of the Port of Port Arthur’s existing facilities on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (known in this area as the Sabine-Neches Ship Channel) is opening the door for expansion. A recently passed $10 million bond referendum is providing funds for evaluation of best use of the tract. Possibilities include a new breakbulk terminal and facilities for handling bulk cargo. Floor capacities and stacking heights have been increased at dockside transit sheds, where fully enclosed rail car loading and unloading capabilities come in handy during the rainy season. Three sheds, used primarily for moves of forest products, encompass a total of more than 318,000 square feet. PORT OF BEAUMONT Twenty miles up the Sabine-Neches Ship Channel from Port Arthur, the Port of Beaumont is expanding onto a 240-acre tract in Orange County, across the Neches River from existing facilities in Jefferson County. The $20 million project is adding a dock, due to open in early 2009, and advancing rail access plus a direct roadway connection to nearby Interstate 10. The Beaumont port, well into a $55 million expansion program, recently opened bids for purchase of a new all-purpose crane and is soon to start a rail infrastructure expansion. Also, construction is nearly complete on a $5.4 million office building to house the 842nd Transportation Battalion of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. Spurring a 40 percent increase in cargo activity are wind energy projects, LNG construction and area refinery upgrades. PORT OF HOUSTON With the first phase of the $1 billion-plus Bayport Container Terminal in gear, the Port of Houston, the nation’s No. 1 foreign commerce port, is accommodating increased export and import volumes. In fact, faster-than-anticipated cargo growth at Bayport has led Port of Houston Authority officials to accelerate its build-out program to meet market demands. PHA officials are proud of multiple developments on the security front. The port has become world’s first to receive new ISO international security certification, following the three-year development of PHA’s Security Management System and its application to port police and perimeter security operations at Barbours Cut and Bayport terminals. U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-NY, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, visited the port in May and was briefed on its multilayered security program and a unique public-private partnership, the Houston Ship Channel Security District. Also, veteran security professional William H. Crews has joined the PHA in the new position of port security and emergency operations manager. PORT OF GALVESTON While continuing to advance