May 5, 2025
By Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves Port Director and CEO
Dredging and maintaining adequate depths has been the lifeblood for commerce on Galveston Harbor since the mid 1800s when the Port of Galveston began to grow as a shipping hub. And just as they did in the late 1800s, business leaders and port officials wrestle today with federal funding and project authorization issues for maintenance of the federal channel.
Thanks to the efforts of those 19th century leaders, we have a federally authorized deep-water harbor. Today our harbor can accommodate large ships, from 34-foot-draft cruise ships and car carriers up to 44-foot-draft liquid bulk carriers. The federally owned portion in the middle of the harbor must be dredged regularly to remove the silt that naturally builds up and reduces depths.
But rarely has the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received enough federal funding to maintain the full depth of 46 feet federally authorized in 1996. Once funded, projects can be delayed for years with federal red tape.
As a result, port and private operators can lose millions of dollars in business if deep-draft cargo ships can’t safely navigate the harbor. The biggest losers are the community because loss of business equals a loss of local jobs and other economic benefits.
Few American waterways handle the diversity of cargos and business of Galveston Harbor. Last year, 3.4 million cruise passengers and 3.4 million tons of cargo, from cattle and cars to giant wind turbine pieces, crossed port-owned docks. Private operators, dealing in hydrocarbons and fertilizers, handled around 9.2 million tons.
In 2023, cargo activity on Galveston Harbor generated $6.7 billion in economic activity and 19,136 jobs for Texas. Galveston’s cruise business generated 4,547 regional jobs and $732.5 million in local business revenues.
Funding Gap
There’s a big gap between what’s needed to maintain channel depths and what’s funded by the federal government. For the 2025 budget cycle, we asked for a much needed $48 million but received zero funding for annual maintenance dredging for the harbor. For 2026, we asked for $39 million and are waiting on the President’s Budget to be released later this year. The port, along with harbor stakeholders, also pursue other means for obtaining federal operations and maintenance funds.
The port and its stakeholders are advocating for full funding and nothing less.
Searching for Solutions
Port officials and private operators on Galveston Harbor have been working for years with federal agencies and elected officials to draw attention to the critical need for funding and faster project implementation.
We’ve found a strong advocate in U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, which is responsible for drafting legislation to fund federal dredging projects. As a subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the group provides oversight for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which implements the projects.
On April 24, Collins met in Galveston with port officials from Galveston and Houston, private terminal operators and dredge operators to see port operations firsthand and understand the tangible impacts of channel depth restrictions.
We greatly appreciate Congressman Collins’ interest in working to find common-sense solutions to improve and streamline the process through new legislation.
