The Houston Pilots stopped boarding inbound ships in the Houston Ship Channel yesterday (July 14, 2003) at 6:00 p.m. due to high winds and heavy seas. A number of ships were allowed to shift within the port until very late last night and this morning. There are a number of ships lay berthing at PHA docks until the storm subsides.

As of 7:15 this morning there are approximately 7 inbound and 8 outbound ships delayed port wide. This number may not reflect the actual number of delays. Some ships may have elected to stay in port to ride out the storm and will not be on the delayed list. Inbound ships were advised yesterday to seek alternate ports.

The channel may be able to open this afternoon.