New port dispatch centre equipped for economic boon in Freeport

According to the statement, the Port Freeport Commission voted unanimously to approve a contract for pilot dispatch services with Fort Velasco Signal Station LLC for the monitoring and management of ship traffic coming in and out of the Freeport Habor as the port continues to grow.

Brazos Pilots Association claims that larger ports have used and operated dispatch centres for decades in order to help in the management of their ship traffic, but it has not been economically efficient to have one in Freeport until now.

Billy Burns, President of the Brazos Pilots Association, said: “Port Freeport has reached a growth level where the users of the channel must truly share the waterway.”

The association is jointly sharing the cost with Port Freeport, Dow Chemical, Enterprise Products, Freeport LNG and Phillips 66 to operate the dispatch centre at no cost to the taxpayer. It is expected that the dispatch centre will be housed in the association’s headquarters.

Heather Browne, director, corporate communications, Freeport LNG, said: “Freeport LNG congratulates Port Freeport and the Brazos Pilots Association on its new pilot dispatch centre. The centre will enhance the safety and efficiency of port operations.

“We look forward to our continued work with both the Port and the Brazos Pilots Association as Freeport nears the substantial completion of its liquefaction project.”

Port Commission Chairman, Paul Kresta, added: “The Pilots’ knowledge of the port and the Freeport Harbor Channel play an integral role in the movement of commerce in this region. They are a strong asset for the entire Freeport Harbor community, and the addition of the new dispatch service will support the growth in the port and ensure safe, efficient navigation along the channel.

“It will give the pilots mobile access to the timely, accurate information they need to schedule and perform their jobs.”

Burns added: “We are modernising how we do business to keep up with the growth.

“The new dispatch service will allow channel users, agents, the US Coast Guard, and law enforcement to have complete visibility to vessel scheduling through a secure web interface. It allows all of the users to share information, so everyone is working together. A much more efficient, safer and effective movement of goods is the result.”

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/21022019/new-port-dispatch-centre-equipped-for-economic-boon-in-freeport/