Details:

Personal Author:
Bragg, Daniel M. ; Bradley, James R.
Bragg, Daniel M. ; Bradley, James R. Less -
NOAA Program & Office:
Sea Grant
Sea Grant Program:
TAMU (Texas Sea Grant)
Description:
This work plan report has been prepared to serve as a means of identifying specific areas of research, assigning priorities and supplying a schedule of activities to achieve the desired goal of determining the feasibility of an offshore terminal for superships in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas Coast. In the past three decades the economic base of Texas has changed from one dominated by agriculture to one oriented toward manufacturing with a very strong dependence upon water transportation. Recent trends in ship sizes threaten to make existing Texas ports obsolete, and there has developed a growing need for a port with water depth adequate to handle the larger ships. Design and construction of an offshore port will enter into areas of consideration involving such things as storm protection, concern for the environment and other factors of similar complexity that can be satisfactorily resolved only through an in-depth engineering study. To justify the expenditure of the large sums of money required to build an offshore port, a study must be made of the economy of Texas' Gulf Coast region to ascertain the impact that the port will have and to determine the dollars-​and-​cents benefits that will result from the port. Location of the offshore port is critical and should be carefully studied. Depending upon the distance from shore that a site is located, the legal and jurisdictional implications can be serious and a detailed analysis of the legal aspects of a port offshore from Texas is a requirement in any feasibility study. The type of entity that is created for the purpose of building and operating the offshore port must be one that permits the greatest flexibility of operation, offers the most favorable tax position and has the range of authority and power necessary for operation of the port, In conclusion, the building of deep water terminals and harbors throughout other parts of the world, along with the continuing trend to ever larger sizes in new ship construction, makes it mandatory that Texas shippers and ports plan for the establishment of a deep water facility for the Texas Gulf Coast region at the earliest possible time. A necessary prerequisite to constructing such a port is a study of its physical and economic feasibility, The work plan contained herein describes the individual studies required. Estimated cost of these studies is $460,000, and total time required to do them should not exceed 18 months.
Keywords:
[+]
Harbors Offshore Structures Petroleum Shipping Terminals
Sea Grant Document Number:
TAMU-O-71-001
Document Type:
Miscellaneous
Compliance:
Library
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:ddafebd07b2a067219798e69a3f582e7c3088bce0431c280af6b5055b641cd37
Download URL:
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/36731/noaa_36731_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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