HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 21, 2026--
On Tuesday, July 21, the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met for its regular monthly meeting, highlighting continued progress along the Houston Ship Channel and advancing key initiatives supporting infrastructure, operations, and long-term growth of the public terminals.
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During opening remarks, Acting Chairwoman Wendy Montoya Cloonan recognized Port Houston’s 2026 summer intern class of 20 students representing 10 schools.
“We are proud to contribute to workforce development in this way and applaud the work they have done so far,” said Acting Chairwoman Cloonan.
Acting Chairwoman Cloonan also provided an update on Project 12, a project that remains in the early evaluation stages following WRDA approval to study the next phase of Houston Ship Channel improvements. With the Port-led portions of Project 11 complete, the proposed effort would primarily focus on deepening the channel to improve economies of scale for many vessels, though no study timeline has been set. During the meeting, the Commission approved a cost-share agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Galveston District to begin the navigation feasibility study.
Port Houston CEO Charlie Jenkins recognized Amy Seymour, chief security and emergency operations officer, for receiving the 2026 National Maritime Safety Association Safety Innovator of the Year Award. He noted that the honor highlights the strength of Port Houston’s safety program and Seymour’s contributions to advancing it.
Additionally, the Commission awarded a construction contract to Russell Marine, LLC for the reconstruction of Wharves 5 and 6 at Barbours Cut Terminal, allowing the terminal to accommodate larger cranes and vessels.
The Commission received an update on cargo activity through June. Additional information can be found in the Houston Ship Channel Region Monthly Trade & Market Report released on July 20.
Additional Meeting Updates:
The Port Commission will meet next on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
About Port Houston
For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals along the Houston Ship Channel, including the area’s largest breakbulk facility and two of the most efficient container terminals in the country. Port Houston is the advocate and a strategic leader for the Channel. The Houston Ship Channel complex and its more than 200 private and eight public terminals is the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S. The Port of Houston supports the creation of nearly 1.5 million jobs in Texas and 3.37 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling $439 billion in Texas and $906 billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information, visit the website at PortHouston.com.
Port Houston CEO Charlie Jenkins (center) stands among Port Houston 2026 Summer Interns. This year's class of 20 students represent 10 schools. The interns were recognized during the July Port Houston Commission meeting.
In actions taken during its July 21 regular monthly meeting, the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority continued advancing progress along the Houston Ship Channel and key initiatives supporting infrastructure, operations, and long-term growth of the public terminals.
POWELL, Ohio (AP) — The skies were mostly clear and weeks of sweltering heat had finally broken as 33-year-old Jose Mario Pineda Dias and his 28-year-old wife, Marina Suyapa Regalado, set out with their two children for some leisurely fishing in an Ohio river. A second Honduran couple and an adult friend joined them.
A photo snapped by a passing boater sometime Sunday shows them apparently about thigh deep in the Scioto River, fishing poles in hand, standing around a big log. Calm as the surface appeared, the river was running high and fast, according to U.S. Geological Survey data. All five adults ended up drowning, authorities have said.
After the photo was taken, the group might have returned to shore. It is not quite clear. What Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer has said is that one of the adults was struggling to swim in the river when several others went into the water to help. All five were swept under, he said.
The two women's bodies were recovered Sunday and the three men's bodies were found Monday.
On Tuesday, Honduran authorities confirmed that four of the five adults were Honduran citizens — Dias and Regalado and another married couple whose names have not yet been released. The fifth adult also has yet to be identified.
Flabia Zamora, director of consular affairs at the Honduran Foreign Ministry, told reporters Tuesday that they were working with U.S. authorities to bring their bodies home.
Zamora said that once U.S. officials have identified all the victims, Honduras will start the repatriation process, which could take at least a month.
She said the couple’s children are in the care of the state of Ohio and that arrangements will be made to reunite them with relatives in Honduras.
One of the children, a boy wrapped only in a towel, fled the riverbank in a panic and ascended to the road as the adults were drowning. According to a passing driver who called 911, “He was screaming, ‘Mama! Mama!’ and he was about to come out onto the road, and he was crying.” She said she was afraid he was headed onto a multilane road that snakes along the Scioto's eastern banks.
Brenda Raya, who described herself as a relative, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral and transportation costs, as well as childcare costs for the two orphaned children. She said they are 8 and 10.
“The emotional and financial burden is overwhelming, and we want to honor the memory of our loved ones while providing for the children left behind,” she wrote.
The drownings occurred along the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir. The reservoir and its 18 miles (29 kilometers) of shoreline are the property of the city of Columbus. According to the city’s Recreation and Parks Department, Jet Skis, tubing and swimming are not permitted in any city of Columbus reservoir.
Lt. Heather Byers, of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said rivers can be deceptively calm on the surface.
“Even though the water doesn’t seem to be moving very quickly, you can still get swept away in very slow-moving water,” she said. “Also, since you can’t always see the bottom, you never know if you’re in, you know, you could be in 2 to 3 feet of water, what you’re comfortable standing in, and then the next thing you know you’re at 4 or 5 feet.”
Besides the currents and the depths, people can catch a foot between the rocks, snag their clothes on a branch or lose their balance on slippery algae.
González reported from Honduras. Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus and John Raby in Charleston, W.Va., contributed to this report.
Signs are posted inside the Riverside Dr Scioto Fishing Area on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Powell, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
The Scioto River is seen near Hayden Falls Reserve on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
A section of the Riverside Dr Scioto Fishing Area is sectioned off on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Powell, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
