Port of Galveston

The Port of Galveston is the port of the city of Galveston, Texas. It was established by a proclamation issued by the Congress of Mexico on October 17, 1825, while the land known today as Texas was still part of Mexico. The Port of Galveston is the oldest port in the Gulf of Mexico west of New Orleans.OverviewLocated on the upper Texas coast on the eastern end of Galveston Island, it is 9.3mi from the open Gulf or approximately 30 minutes sailing time. The port is municipally owned by the City of Galveston and is managed by the Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves, as designated by the City Charter. The port is self-sustaining, and does not receive any taxpayer funding. The Port of Galveston consists of the Galveston Ship Channel, the south side of Pelican Island, the north side of Galveston Island and the entrance to Galveston Bay. The Galveston Channel has an authorized minimum depth of 45ft and is 1200ft wide at its narrowest point.The port has 15-20 lines of business.In 2015, the eastern section of the port, ending at Pier 38, was dredged to a depth of 13.716m. Siltation occurred at a faster than expected pace, requiring more dredging in 2016. The western part of the port will be dredged from a dept of 12.1m to 13.7m, at a cost of $12-15 million. To accommodate cruise ships, the area where the ships turn around is routinely dredged every four years.