HOUSTON — The Houston Ship Channel and Port of Houston are huge economic drivers for our area. If you want to see how it all works, you can and it’s free. Since 1958, the Port of Houston has offered a free boat trip along the Ship Channel, giving the public unique perspective into its impact on Houston.
"Give us a chance to show you what the Port is all about," said senior captain Genaro Ambriz from the wheelhouse of the M/V Sam Houston, which he first boarded nearly 30 years ago. "I started off as a deckhand."
He pilots a sometimes twice-daily tour of what Army Corps of Engineers bills as the busiest federal waterway in the country, helping navigate the Ship Channel and its history.
"The older side of the Port of Houston, some of the older docks," Ambriz shared. "We go under the 610 bridge, show some refineries. It shows them a side they can’t see from the land."
The guests, who are often from school or business groups, are here to learn about the economic one-two punch of the channel and port.
"The channel is 52 miles long and it’s hard to believe it goes so far into Houston," said Ambriz. "I always tell everybody: everything you have on probably comes from the Port of Houston. Your clothing, your electronics, even some vehicles, just everything."
It’s all transported in and out on the massive cargo ships that line the channel – more than 200,000 of them a year from all over the world. The industries along the waterway contribute to more than 1.3 million Texas jobs.
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But it’s not all business. The tour also passes by the place where Santa Anna was captured after the Battle at San Jacinto.
The 90-minute ride is like a business, economics and history class all rolled into one.
"Some people come on here and say they’ve lived here 30 years and they didn’t know about it," Ambriz added.
Now you have no excuses.
Though the ride is free, it does require a reservation because of limited space and demand. To save your spot on the M/V Sam Houston, click here.