HARBOUR pilots serving houston declared slightly longer ships can transit the Houston Ship Channel without prior approval, easing a two-year old Texas law, reports IHS Media.
A majority of the port's full-time pilots voted in favour of allowing ships up to 1,120 feet in length to transit the channel without receiving a waiver.
Under the 2019 state law, pilots had been granted the right to refuse transit to vessels over 1,100 feet in length unless 80 per cent of members granted a waiver.
The restriction stemmed from concerns that two large ships could cause a cross wake that would jeopardise vessel safety.
Since, the pilots have safely handled over 450 ships between 1,050 and 1,099 feet.
'It's a good step for the state of Texas and it's a good step for the Houston Ship Channel. Piloting is about repetition, so we built up the knowledge to safely maneuver these vessels,' said Houston Pilots Association (HPA) spokesman Robert Thompson.
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A majority of the port's full-time pilots voted in favour of allowing ships up to 1,120 feet in length to transit the channel without receiving a waiver.
Under the 2019 state law, pilots had been granted the right to refuse transit to vessels over 1,100 feet in length unless 80 per cent of members granted a waiver.
The restriction stemmed from concerns that two large ships could cause a cross wake that would jeopardise vessel safety.
Since, the pilots have safely handled over 450 ships between 1,050 and 1,099 feet.
'It's a good step for the state of Texas and it's a good step for the Houston Ship Channel. Piloting is about repetition, so we built up the knowledge to safely maneuver these vessels,' said Houston Pilots Association (HPA) spokesman Robert Thompson.
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