APRIL 1996 PORT OF HOUSTON AUTHORITY

"Exceptional Service

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Cranes up to 300 TonsLifting Capacity

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Make one phone call and get the"right"answers to all yourstevedoring and marine

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Container Marshalling YardFacilities at Barbours Cut andTurning Basin

Container Maintenance andRepairs Services

Container Freight Station

Customs Examination Station

Complete Terminal Services

SHIPPERS STEVEDORING COMPANY11811 East Freeway Suite 660 Houston, Texas 77029

713-451-5777 or toll free 800-356-4968 Fax: 713-451-9909

2 A World Class Port at Work

British Minister of Trade 2

Box~dis-

t trans-and

8 Employee Awards and Barbecue

i Griffin

SotoSmith

ismste-

ON THE COVERThe Port of Houston directly and indirectly puts a largeportion of the community to work. According to astudy conducted by Martin Associates, I96,000 jobs arein some way related to Port of Houston Activity.

COMMISSIONERS

NED HOLMESChairman

H.J. MIDDLETONCommissioner

ROBERT GILLETTECommissioner

LEROY BRUNERCommissioner

JOHN WEBB JR.Commissioner

BE’I-rl MALDONADOCommissioner

CHASE UNTERMEYERCommissioner

People of the

D own on the docks at the Port ofHouston, you see a crane opera-tor lifting a container, an agentattending to the vessel or a

freight forwarder making sure the cargo isproperly documented. These are the peo-ple on the "front line," the ones whose jobsmost obviously depend on the port.

Less obvious are the bankers who finance cer-tain international transactions, the marine insurerswho underwrite the shipments, the construction work-ers who build homes for people working at the port, thecompanies that sell these workers merchandise and serv-

ices and the health care workers who tendto the workers, it’s like the old children’sword game, "This is the House that JackBuilt."

The Port of Houston directly and indi-rectly puts a large portion of the communityto work, and these employees represent anamazing range of industries. According to astudy conducted by Martin Associates,196,000 jobs are in some way related to Port ofHouston activity. That number includes thepeople who work on the docks, businesses thathire employees to serve the people who workon the docks and industries that are located inHouston because it is a port.

On these pages, Port of Houston Authorityphotographer Ray Soto shows us some of thepeople who make Houston’s world-class portwork. This is the port that they built, gi

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British Minister Favors

Multilateral Agreements

~l~e United States

and other coun-tries tt).ust contin-ue to negotiaterade pacts multi-ally, and notry by country, if

the "new world trade order" is to suc-ceed, Great Britain’s minister of tradesays.

"There is a temptation very often,whether it’s reflected in automobile dealswith Japan or most-favored-nation statusdiscussions with China to engage inbilateral, separate, one-to-one trade lib-eralization deals. But this is really with-out the principles and objectives of thenew world trade order taken fromGATT," said Anthony Nelson.

"1 think that it’s very important thatwe do what we say and not the otherway around and that, in our policies aswell as our practice of trade, we ensurethat we liberalize more generally ratherthan with particular countries."

Nelson, who is the British minister oftrade and a Conservative Party memberof Parliament, spoke recently before

Houston’s British-American BusinessAssociation. He said Great Britain andEuropean nations also have fi~cusedmuch of their attention on trade amongEuropean Union members rather thanwith non-Market countries. However, hesaid, Great Britain has been very muchon the liberalizing wing of the EuropeanUnion with regard to trade policies.

"I think we are increasingly looking,through arrangements with the UnitedStates and also Mexico, to freeing up theworld trade order as well."

Nelson said Great Britain viewsHouston as a gateway to North Ameri-can Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)markets, much as Britain serves as anentryway to the European Union. TheBritish trade community wants toincrease its business activity and trade inthe southern and southwestern UnitedStates and Mexico because this econom-ic region is a "fulcrum area, a hub" fi)rthe Western Hemisphere.

British consular offices in NorthAmerica are paving the way for theUnited Kingdom’s North America Nowcampaign, which aims to expand trans-

atlantic trade and investment. In June,Nelson’s ministry will launch an eftbrt tomarket British services -- particularlyfinancial and insurance services -- moreaggressively in North America.

"I would like to set these and otherservice industries play an increasing rolein some of the new developing marketsin the United States, and we intend todo a lot more business on that front fromJune onwards."

The United Kingdom is the Port ofHouston’s second largest-trading partnerwhen ranked by the dollar value of goodsexchanged. In 1994, the last year fi~rwhich figures are available, Houston andGreat Britain exchanged $1.7 billionworth of cargo weighing in at 2.6 milliontons. About 300 subsidiaries of Britishcompanies have offices in Texas, Nelsonsaid.

Nelson also discussed the changingeconomic face of once-beleaguered com-munities in Great Britain. Until five or10 years ago, communities in northeastEngland, Scotland and Wales repre-sented a "desolate landscape of ancientindustries." Their economies were domi-nated by trade union barons who mis-used the power entrusted to them. ButNelson said the British government hasbeen investing in its own communitiesthrough policies that have reduced infla-tion and taxation and provided a soundeconomic backdrop.

"Now we have new, young industriesemploying new trained labor, sellingproducts and services to new markets allover the world on the cutting edge oftechnology, belying the traditionalimage of my country as being rather con-servative," he said. "We have some very,very exciting technology, and we havesome very exciting interests abroad."~l

Anthony Nelson, Great Britain’s ministerfor trade and a member of Parliament

Every February, denizens of theLone Star State take a little time outto pay tribute to Texas tradition.They pull on their Wran

True to the cowboy theme, thePHA cook-off tent resembled an OldWest storefront. Inside, the Harris

of the arrangements that helped makethe event a success. Middleton ischairman of the rodeo and livestockshow’s Black Go Texan Committeeand a livestock show directori

LEFT: Middleton presents the Port ofHouston Commissioners’ Award toMaggie Poiley, a secretary in thePublic Affairs Division. Polley hasworked for the Port Authority fornearly 20 years. Middieton said shereceived the award for exceptionaljob performance on a consistentbasis. Polley’s responsibilitiesinclude arranging reservations fortours aboard the PHA inspection ves-sel, M/V SAM HOUSTON.

CENTER: Arthur Marshall (dght), a construction inspector, receives the StarAward from WilUamson. He works in the engineering department, which Is partof the Facilities Division. The Star Award is presented to an Individual employee

safety Issues. Marshall inspects cor~on a daily basis to ensure they comply with

regulations and also works close-

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Port of Houston RepresentatitivesVisit With Kansas City Customers

The Port of Houston Authority spon-sored a customer reception in KansasCity. Shown are some of the hosts andguests.Top: [From left) Tim Benson, HarvestStates; Rod Schlatter, Bartlett; JohnHoran, PHA; Lane Walker, Farmland;Frank Heindel, Scoular; and Brian Smith,Scoular.

Center: (From left) Bill Winney, Conti-nental Grain; John Horan, PHA; andJohn Graverson, Continental.Bottom: (From left) Scott Mills, Scoular;Mike Owens, United; Bill Mullins, PHA;Tom Heidt, PHA; Steve Duhe, NationalQuality Inspt.; and Jay Coleman,Research Fumigation.

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Household Goods

On the Move

ven in times of peace, U.S.armed forces maintain mili-tary bases around the world.Yet few people are aware of

the intricacies of moving soldiers’ per-sonal belongings overseas and homeagain. It’s a task that requires efficiency,organization and the desire to do a goodjob for U.S. men and women in uniform.

Van Ommeren Shipping (U.S.A.)Inc., based in Stamford, Conn., is onesteamship line that has risen to the occa-sion. Last year, Van Ommeren beganmoving shipments for the carriers thattransport household goods for militarypersonnel between the Port of Houstonand Europe. Most of the goods areloaded or discharged at Antwerp andpicked up at or delivered to Germany.The service operates under the nameRR & VOLLC, a company owned byVan Ommeren and Red River ShippingCorp., which is based in Rockville, Md.

Biehl & Co. Inc.is agent for RR &VOLLC.

Houston is theonly U.S. port throughwhich the service transports householdgoods. About every 35 days, the M/VADVANTAGE, a U.S.-flag ship, calls atthe Port of Houston Authority’s Wood-house Terminal. The vessel oftendeposits enough boxes of householdgoods to fill two, sometimes three, ware-houses at the terminal. Woodhouse’sample warehouse space was one factorthat led RR & VOLLC to choose Hous-ton as its port of call.

"Houston is centrally located, sostrategically it’s a good port for handlinghousehold goods. Using Houston givesus access to the source of most of thiscargo, which is from the U.S. West andMidwest," says George Crighton Jr., vicepresident of Van Ommeren.

Ryan-Walsh Inc., as the assignedfreight handler at Woodhouse Terminal,provides the muscle for moving thecargo once it arrives on the dock. Thestevedoring company can attest to thefact that handling household goods issomething of an art. Most of the cargo ispacked in plywood crates measuring 87

inches long, 47 inches wide and87 inches high. Inbound ship-ments range from 1,000 boxes,

particularly in the winter-- when shipments are

slower, to 3,800 boxes persailing. Ryan-Walsh’s chal-lenge is to keep each soldier’scrates together and, in thecase of inbound goods,arrange the crates in the ware-house so they can be quickly

located when trucks arriveto pick them up.

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