As one of the largest ports in the world and moving 225 million tons a year, the Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of public and private terminals located along the 53-mile-long Houston Ship Channel.

The port is the main driver of global trade and commerce along the U.S. Gulf Coast. More than 7,700 vessels and 150,000 barges transport goods through the port each year, and 88 steamship lines offer service linking Houston with more than 1,053 ports.

The Port of Houston Authority owns, operates, or leases out the public facilities of Houston's port, including the Houston Public Grain Elevator, Bulk Materials Handling Plant, Woodhouse Terminal, Turning Basin Terminal, Care Terminal, Jacintoport Terminal, Fentress Bracewell Barbours Cut Container Terminal, and the Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal. This diversification enables PHA to handle all types of cargoes: general cargo, containers, grain, dry bulk, project cargo and shipments of heavy-lift equipment.

Bayport's container terminal is expected to have a maximum capacity of about 2.3 million TEUs. The ultimately 1,043-acre facility is in its second year of operation and will be expanded in phases as market demands dictate. Committed to leadership in environmental stewardship, PHA's award-winning environmental programs have helped heighten maritime industry standards for air quality, water quality, solid waste reduction and energy efficiency. PHA's Barbours Cut Terminal and PHA's Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to meet attain ISO 14001 certification.

Dove-tailing the success of its Environmental Management System, PHA attained ISO 28000:2007 certification for its Security Management System in 2008.