PORT OF ST()N

~ulk Materials Handling Plantgeared to handle more

and different commodities

Norway: Testing bed forenergy technology

PROBO: New generationof bulk carriers

v/

Korea and Egypt."/.."Open Door" trade "~t;cfes

Ragnar Thorseth, leader of theumque expedition, sailing a true copyof a viking ship around the world.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBECHALLENGE AS A LIFE-STYLE,MR THORSETH?i Ar r Ragnar Thorseth is the leaderI| l1 of a sailing trip around theI 1~’ 1 world in a rather special vessel,

,L ¯ JL SAGA SIGLAR, a true copyof a Viking ship. The boat type is knownas the merchantman. It is 16.5 metreslong and 4.6 metres broad. The boat isequipped with one square sail. Thebuilder of the boat, Mr Sigurd Bjorkdal, isone of the few experts still alive who havemastered the Norwegian clincher-buil-ding technique. After the two-year longsaihng tour the boat will be donated tothe Sunnmore Museum in Norway.Mr Ragnar Thorseth, 36, has madechallenge his life-style. He started wayback in 1969 by rowing alone over theNorth Sea - a challenge no one hadundertaken before him. Since then,Mr Thorseth has made several trips overGreenland and over the ice to the NorthPole (a trip, incidentally, he doesn’trecommend to anyone).Mr Thorseth, the journalist, broke awayfrom his bourgeois life in 1975, devotinghis life to adventure on a full time basis.~The first trip over the North Sea was infact a turning point in my development.From childhood I had been fascinated byscientists and writers such as Amundsen,

~/~stad, Jack London and Hemingway.lie rowingon the North Sea I came to

understand that I was capable of realizingmy dreams, and I was thrilled beyonddescription. I was on my way over theNorth Sea when the Americans first

landed on the Moon. At the time I wassitting in my boat, listening to thebroadcast on the radio, and I felt realkinship with those adventurers.~,Greater challenges have resulted from therecognition Mr Thorseth has received,with the Saga Siglar Tour being the presentculmination of his career. The expeditionhas an important scientific goal: the quali-ties of this significant boat type will betested for the first time. Several museumshave been involved in the planning andbuilding of the vessel.The expedition has also received financialsupport from both Norwegian and foreigncompanies with subsidiaries in Norway.Apart from the scientific goal of the tour, itis also a great opportunity to present theimage of Norway internationally. And animportant part of the life-style of RagnarThorseth, the adventurer.

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December 19841

Louisiana Gulf Shipyards

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(504) 525-3425/TELEX 6821204

PORT OF HOUSTONVolume 27 Number 12 December 1984

Port StaffRICHARD e. LEACH, E~ecutive DirettorJAMES O. PUGH, Managing Director

J.R. CURTIS, Director of Port OperationsTED WALTERS, Deputy Director of Port Operations

JOHN GREEN, Deputy Director of Port OperationsW.D. DUNNAHOE, Manager. Turning Basin TerminalsJOHN HORAN, Manager, Barbours Cut TerminalW.E. GREER, Manager. Houston Public ElevatorLESLIE J. SANDERFER, Manager, Bulk Materials

Handling PlantA.J.M. VAN DE VEN, Manager. Maintenance

DepartmentCLAUDE BARTH, Manager, Securfly Department

ARMANDO S. WATERLAND, Director q[ TradeDevelopment

LEON UTTERBACK. Eastern Sales ManagerJACK WOJEWNIK. Asst. Eastern Sales ManagerDAVID W. SIMPSON. Western RepresentativeMARGARET PLATTEEL, Midwestern RepresentatileMISAEL BRETON, Latin America RepresentativeDIANA PAYNE, Marketing Ana(vstLEE VELA, Communk’ations Manager

NORMAN E. HUENI, Director of EngineeringTOM KORNEGAY. Chief Engineer

F. WILLIAM COLBURN. Director of AdministrationLINDA REESE, ControllerALTON B. LANDRY, Manager, Personnel De~rtmentBETTY GARRETT, Manager, Purchasing DepartmentA. MONROE BEAN, Manager, Real EstateJAMES ELDRIIX]E. Manager, Management In/brmatkm

A~rvicesJERRY L. FLACK, Manager. Computer OperationsALGENITA SCOTT DAVIS. CounselLOUIS F. BROWN, JR., Manager, .~j?ty and Insurance

DepartmentJOE SCROGG[NS, JR.. Director ojPlanningMICHAEL SCORCIO, Director a/C~ymmun#v RelationsJOE F. FLACK. County Auditor

Executive Offices1519 Capitol Avenue, Houston, Texas 77002

P.O. Box 2562, Houston, Texas 77252Telephone: (7131 226-2100

TWX: 910-881-5787

Terminal OfficesTurning Basin: (713) 670-2400

Barbours Cut: (713) 470-1800

Bulk Plant Office3100 Penn City Road, Houston, Texas 77015

Telephone: (713) 453-3531

Field Office60 East 42rid Street, New York 10165

Telephone: (212) 867-2780

Official PublicationPort of Houston

Authority

Magazine StaffLEE VELA, EditorPAT STREILEIN KIRK, Stall WriterRAY CARRINGTON. StaffPhotographerSHEILA PHILLIPS, Adtertising ManagerTINA TOBIAS, 73pographer

December 1984

Port Commissioners

F. Bracewell M.D. Perry H.J. Middleton R. Gonzales, Jr. A. Bennett, Jr.( hairlllan (’o111111is~;iolle ( Orllllli~,Jolqcr ( omnlissioncr ( onlllli~,’~ioncr

In This IssueBulk Plant~Installation of a $4.7 million shiploadingsystem means handling "just about anything." 4Houston Hummer--ILA president talks about managementand labor differences and the need to settle them. 7New York, 25 Years--The 25th annual trade mission toNew York informs maritime community of port innova-tions and improvements. 8Norway~Crown Prince Harald promotes stronger ties be-tween the U.S. and Norway at a conference. PROBO is anew generation of bulk carriers. ] 2Consular Ball--An event that brings 55 foreign diplomatstogether for an evening of entertainment and exchange. 16Naval Home Port--"Chase" Untermeyer speaks to Pro-peller Club on possible Gulf sites. 19Korea--From war-torn nation to developing industrialcenter, Korea’s open door policy is promoting competition. 20Egypt’s Door is Open, Too--Stability for investments has"never been better." 25P.H.A. Progress--Bayport dredging under way, contractsawarded. 29Protectionists--Attempting to limit imports through Con-gress. 31Port Tidings~A page of news and notes about the peopleand companies in and around the Port of Houston. 33

On The CoverBulk Materials Handling Plant gets a new $4.7 million shiploading system.

THE PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE (ISSN 0032-4825) is published monthly by the Port Houston Authority and is distributed free to maritime, industrial and transportation interests in theUnited States and foreign countries. This publication is not copyrighted and permission is given forthe reproduction or use of any original material, provided credit is given to the Port of Houston. Ad-ditional information, extra copies or advertising rates may be obtained by writing the PORT OFHOUSTON MAGAZINE. Second class postage paid at Houston, Tx. and at additional mailing of-fices. Send address change to PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE. P.O. Box 2562, Houston, Texas77252.

Bulk Materials Handling Plant

New shiploader system meanshandling ’just about anything’

By PAT STREILEIN-KIRK

A NEW $4.7 million shiploadingsystem which increases efficiency andimproves turn-around-time for shipscalling at the Port of HoustonAuthority’s Bulk Materials HandlingPlant became operable this month,according to Richard P. Leach, ex-ecutive director of the Port Authority.

The system includes a $3.4 milliontravelling shiploader, dust suppressionsystem and a new conveyor beltsystem.

The shiploader, with an ultimate

design capacity of 3,000 tons per hour,initially increases loading efficiency atthe plant by 50 percent, from 1,200tons per hour to 1,800 tons per hour.The loader can travel the length of thewharf, while the loading chutemounted on the loader’s boom cantravel from wharfside to a point 66feet from the face of the wharf.

WHILE THE entire system isdesigned to reduce dust, the new dustsuppression system, which will be

¯ operable within the first quarter of" 1985, will enable the bulk plant to

handle "just about anything," saidThomas Kornegay, chief engineer forthe Port Authority. He noted that thebulk plant could not previously handlevery dusty commodities, such aspetroleum coke, soda ash, bentoniteclay, perlite and some agricultural pro-ducts like alfalfa pellets and soybeanmeal. Dust-filled air is pulled throughcyclones and into a scubber systemthat sprays the dusty air with a mist,causing the dust to turn into sludge soit can be discharged. Formerly dustycommodities had to be sprayed withoil prior to handling, Kornegay said.

4 Port of Houston Magazine

The Brown Hoist, which moves along the dock,.can service all hatches.Reaching 76 feet from the dock’s face, the ground hoist can dig 25 feetbelow the water level at mean low tide. The bucket has a rated capacity for12 tons and can move 1,000 tons of material per hour.

Les Sanderfer, manager of the Bulk Materials Handling Plant and Bob Jer-nigan, superintendent, are ready with information about most commoditymovement through the plant.

Tonnage through theBulk Materials Planthas jumped 45 percent in the first ninemonths of this yearover the same periodin 1983, with potashthe leading export andbarite ore the leadingimport.

Noting that the bulk plant is amultiple product facility, Bulk PlantManager Les Sanderfer said, "The newdust system enables the plant to bemore versatile, handling a wider rangeof products." These improvements arepart of continuous efforts to upgradethe bulk plant, which is located on theHouston Ship Channel at Green’sBayou, about four hours sailing timefrom the Gulf of Mexico.

Refurbishing of the plant began in1981 when the 650-foot dock receiveda new concrete deck. The $200,000two-lane, paved service road, whichwas built in 1983 to improve access,can be expanded as more tenantsuse the facility. Crane rails for theloading and unloading towers werereplaced earlier this year at a cost of$340,635.

VESSELS unloading cargo at thebulk plant are serviced by a BrownHoist ship unloader, which can move500 feet along the dock and reach hat-ches 75 feet away. This hoist, with a12-ton free-digging bucket capable ofmoving 1,000 tons of material perhour, can dig 25 feet below water levelat mean tide.

A well-developed infrastructure atthe Bulk Plant provides easy access forboth rail and truck carriers. Rail carsare loaded and unloaded from justbehind the dock. Two modern in-terstate highways, 1-10 which connectswith 225 via the Beltway Bridge and1-45 via 225 and 610 Loop, make theplant readily accessible to trucks.

Customers know the exact weight ofproducts being shipped, as a conveyorbelt moves materials into two 600-ton

capacity storage hoppers located overcertified scales prior to loading theminto rail cars and trucks. The PortAuthority provides certified weightreceipts to its customers free of charge.

BUSINESS at the bulk plant rose45 percent during the first threequarters of 1984, with cargomovements totalling 896,593 shorttons, surpassing the 1983 total of813,088 short tons of materials.

Potash remains the leading exportand barite ore the leading import. Dur-ing the first three quarters, a total of623,890 short tons of potash left thebulk terminal with domestic andworldwide destinations, and the ter-minal received 144,773 short tons ofbarite ore. []

December 1984 5

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"Ordinarily we would have used a straightcontainerload rate for firebrick. We also would haveshipped through Calgon’s usual East Coast ports.

"But then we checked RATES. A search instantlylocated a mixed containerload rate for firebrick andrelated commodities via Mobile. (Chances are wenever would have thought of the Gulf coast!) By usingthis information, we were able to save $2,500-halfthe cost! Enough to pay for our RATES subscription for12 months."

There are sizable differences nn ocean freight rates,if you know where and how to look. RATES knows.Punch a keyword and RATES instantly searches out allthe possibilities-including tariffs you probably didn’tknow existed.

Discover what Calgon’s Bill Reed and other compa-nies are finding-that RATES quickly pays for itself. Letus prove that you, too, can save important money onyour overseas cargo. On your next shipment find yourbest rate, then let us show you what RATES can comeup with. The first search is free, and we’ll do it rightover the phone. Just call (212) 208-0224. How canyou lose? The Journal of Commerce, 99 Wall Street,New York, NY 10005.

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A Knight.Ridder business service.

People that make the Port of Houston hum

Local ILA chief wantsto resolve problems

Millard Barrington, president of InternationalLongshoremen’s Association (ILA), Local 24, Houston, wants to settle differences between labor andmanagement in a gentlemanly fashion.

"We’re going to have to sit down and discuss whatcan be done for the future," he said, contending thatcommunication between the two entities is vital to thefuture of the Port of Houston and those who dependon it for a living or benefit from business or income theport generates.

BARRINGTON believes joint efforts between laborand management would be effective in combatingthreats to the port’s economic security.

Noting that the ILA has reduced some gang-size re-quirements to help eliminate excessive manning costs,Barrington praised the Port Authority for reducingtariffs on bagged goods and cotton to encourage morecargo through the port. Increases in bagged goods andsteel movements have had a very positive impact onlabor, he added, noting that 77 percent of his laborforce currently is employed, while only 50 percentworked during 1983.

"There’s a great future here at the Port of Houston,the marketplace of the south," Barrington continued."But if everybody doesn’t get together and sit downand take a look at problems, we’re all going to have alot more problems in the next couple of years."

RESPONDING to common complaints of firms us-ing ILA labor, Barrington said, "There have been a fewmisunderstandings over the years." He discussed "dou-ble barrelling," the practice of two workers sharing ajob, with one working mornings and the other after-noons. The complaint by stevedores is that excessivegang sizes enable longshoreman to engage in this prac-tice, with stevedores paying each for a full day’s work.Stressing that the ILA does not sanction this practice,Barrington blamed stevedores for allowing it. "A lot ofthat (double-barrelling) is the company’s problem," said. "By not firing a man for it, the company is con-doning it. If a man is fired or cut-off, we’ll back upmanagement," Barrington promised. "I don’t try to gethis job back."

Excessive manning requirements and difficulty inhiring replacements for unwilling work gangs wereother problems Barrington addressed.

Gang sizes, which vary according to the job, henoted, are determined on the international level, notlocally. "The gang-size structure should be about thesame from Maine to Brownsville," Barrington noted.

Millard Barrington looks over ILA member roster with secretaryJuanita Sampson.

IN REGARDS to complaints about replacing insub-ordinate workers, he said, "Things have changed com-pared to what it used to be. Anytime we fail to supplya gang, they (firms using ILA labor) can file a workstoppage order and assess damages," explained Barr-ington, noting that it only takes about an hour to get a’work stoppage order.

On the other hand, he said, "It’s rare for our men togive someone a problem without a reason. It has occur-red," Barrington added, "but often it’s when there’s anunsafe condition."

Barrington also voiced a complaint of the ILA."Most people perceive longshoremen as a rough breed,brawling on street corners. We’ve had a different breedin years past," he admitted. "But currently our peopleare as educated as anyone else in town. Most are fami-ly men with children, just trying to earn a decent liv-ing."

COMING TO Houston in 1956, Barrington beganworking at the port at the age of 19. Elected to the of-fice of vice president of ILA Local 1273 in 1975, andpresident two years later, he was elected president ofLocal 24 when the two locals merged. Barrington alsoserves as vice president of the international ILAorganization, on the district ILA board, as president ofthe Dock and Marine Council, on the local AFL-CIOcouncil, and on the Executive Board of the SeafarersInternational Union.

Promoting "unity and togetherness" of labor andmanagement is a personal mission for Barrington. "Ilove the Port of Houston," he said. "It’s been mywhole life; I’ve never worked anywhere else."

Noting that even in a marriage two individuals willnever agree 100 percent of the time, Barrington con-cluded, "There’s always going to be disagreements.But, we (labor and management) should be able to sitdown and communicate to resolve problems." []

December 1984 7

Twentyfive years oftrade developmentin New York

The Port of Houston Authority sponsored the 25th an-nual Trade Development Week in New York City recentlyto inform the maritime and related transportation businesscommunities of innovations and improvements at the Portof Houston. City, county and Port Commissioners attendeda series of receptions, seminars and luncheons at the "21"Club.

Highlighted at the receptions were improvements at thePort of Houston Bulk Materials Handling Plant, which in-clude the installation of a new $4.7 million shiploadingsystem and the addition of Berth No. 4, creation of a turn-ing point, and installation of a new back up computer systemat the Barbours Cut Container Terminal. The improvementsat Barbours Cut greatly improve service and turn-aroundtime at the facility. Also announced was the scheduled open-ing this month of Dock 32, a facility designed for projectcargoes and heavy lifts. Dock 32 is the first to be built in theTurning Basin area since 1969. []

Port Commissioner Chairman Fentress Bracewell "slices" up 25 years oftrade development with the "21" Club owner P. Kriendler.

Richard P. Leach, executive director of the Port of Houston Authority,presents the New York "Maritime Man of the Year" award to Lou Welter,Hapag-Lloyd Agencies.

Commissioner Rey Gonzales; Councilwoman E. Tinsley; and J. McMullen,J. McMullen Associates.

Commissioner Bennett; J. Glazenor; and Coun-cilman McKaskle.

Mayor Whitmire; D. Sweet, Green Coffee Associa-tion; and Leon Utterback, Port Authority EasternSales Manager.

Chairman Bracewell; Commissioner Gonzales;and P. Hurley, Malaysian Rubber Bureau.

8 Port of Houston Magazine

G. Chandu, Eastways Shipping; Commissioner Perry; W. Onghena, AM[Sea Freight, Inc.; and P. Till, Behring Intl.

’S. Maddalena and C. Lara, Witco Chemical; J. McCaffrey, Phelps DodgeCorp.; and E. Kennedy, Witco Chemical.

H. Martin, City of Houston; R. Collins, Hipage, Inc.; Mayor K. Whitmire;and Councilman F. Mancuso.

J. Hammond, National Custom Brokers & Forwarders Assoc.; G. Romero,GIR World Forwarders, Jack Wojewnik; Commissioner Perry; and D.Anderson, Alba Forwarding Company.

H. Kleindenst, Schenkers Intl. Forwarders, Inc.; D. Worm, Goth Transport,Inc.; H. Thiele, Militzer & Muench USA, Inc.; Jack Wojewnik; and K. Bor-cherding, Rhenus Transport, Inc.

R. Brinson, American Association of Port Authorities; R. Fenn, Saudi Na-tional Bank; Chairman Bracewell; and R. Harter, Houston ShippersAssociation.

J. Catroppo, J. Varrone, both of Imperial Intl. Forwarding; J. Romeo, AIT W. Majorski, Saks Intl.; Jack Wojewnik; F. Purcell, Woodward & Dicker-Forwarding Company; and R. Megherby, RTM Navigation. son, Inc.; I. Blackman, Fertexport, Inc.; and R. Smith, Saks Intl.

D. Grazing, ATSF Railroad; Leon Utterback; Mayor K. Whitmire; N. Mikus,Union Pacific Railroad; and J. Meany, Union Pacific Railroad.

H. Kleindenst, Schenkers Intl.; D. Worm, Goth Transport, Inc.; H. Thiele,Militzer & Muench; and F. Fassbender, An-Mar Project Intl.

December 1984 9

Ship Nedlloyd-classto the Middle East.Quality service beyond category:Four ways to save time, moneyand paperwork.

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Count on Nedlloyd-class care, capacity andcapability for the greatest possible timeand cost savings to--and in--the Middle East.

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T. Foote, Waterman Steamship Co.; Commissioner Howard Middleton;and W. Ryan, Waterman Steamship.

J. Krznaric, C.S.X. Corporation; C. Schieck, Gdynia America Line; JackWojewnik; and W. Burns, Spanish Line.

C. Ruggiero, Hanjin Container Line; Armando S. Waterland; E. Trendel,Merzario Maritime Agency, Inc.; and J. Newsome, Strachan Shipping.

B. Knoess, Freeport Export Corp.; B. Gilbert, Rohm & Haas; T. Bires, Han-dy & Harman; Jack Wojewnik; and J. Williams, ClT Intl. Sales.

C. Pontin, Nestle Company; J. Staci, Irwin-Harrisons-Whitney; and D. Ciaccia, Irwin-Harrisons-Whitney.

J. Roach, Carleton Importing Co.; N. Pappas, Mit-subishi Intl.; and R. Schmid, Krupp Intl., Inc.

]. Merola, Franlig Forwarding Co.; L. Policastro,Lunham & Reeve, Inc.; and P. Favre, Unsworth& Company.

Port of Houston New York field officean integral part of trade development

New York City and the surroun-ding region has long been centralheadquarters for many of themaritime and related transportationindustries in the United States.

The Port of Houston Authority’sNew York field office, which wasestablished in 1952, is headed up byLeon Utterback and Jack Wojewnik,eastern sales manager and assistantsales manager, respectively.

Since its inception, the New Yorkfield office has been instrumental indeveloping trade throughout the

Eastern United States for the Port ofHouston. Utterback and Wojewnik,who bring many years of experiencein the transportation business to theport, concentrate their efforts onsteamship/carriers operators withspecial attention to internationaltrade.

During New York Trade Develop-ment Week, held annually, NewYork is "invaded" by prominentHoustonians who bring news to themaritime industry about the Port ofHouston, its facilities and services of-fered. []

Leon Utterback Jack Wojewnik

Pat Kennedy

December 1984 11

Stronger ties between Norway/U.S.urged by Norwegian Crown Prince

By PAT STREILEIN.KIRK

In Houston promoting strongerbusiness ties between Norway and U.S.energy interests, Norwegian CrownPrince Harald opened a petroleum con-ference recently urging U.S. oil firmsto consider engaging in joint ventures.

"For Norway, it is important toshow that the industry and servicesdeveloped in the North Sea are not on-ly designed for domestic offshore ac-tivities, but offer technological solu-tions and systems, which make Nor-way an interesting partner for coopera-tion internationally, as well."

Born out of the need to overcomedifficulties caused by climatic and en-vironmental conditions, Prince Haraldnoted that Norway’s technologicalrace, to extract the wealth from thebottom of the sea, has all facets of themaritime industry offering support forthe nation’s energy-related efforts.

"Shipyards that were designed tocover the needs of the merchant andfishing fleets have adjusted to the newera," said Prince Harald. "Contractorswith experience from harbour develop-ment have put their know-how to usein offshore fields. And shipowners,who for generations have sailed theirships on the world’s oceans, have seiz-ed opportunities available; they arenow operating rigs and supply shipswhich serve the offshore industry inthe North Sea and other waters world-wide."

Laying the foundation for speakersto follow, including the Norwegiangovernment’s head of petroleum andenergy and representatives ofNorwegian and U.S. firms involved inthe nation’s petroleum activities, heconcluded, "Joint ventures and two-way trade bring nations closertogether. I am of the belief that manypossibilities still exist for expandingand developing the economic coopera-tion between the United States and

Norway--possibilities which can bringour two countries even closertogether."

Arild Rodland, state secretary,Royal Norwegian Ministry ofPetroleum and Energy, detailed thehistory of Norway’s emergence as anoil-producing nation, culminating withan explanation of Norway’s break withtraditional petroleum technology.

Since becoming an oil-producing na-tion in 1971, Norway’s production hasswelled to 1.1 million barrels daily, ac-cording to Rodland.

Citing harsh conditions presentedby the North Sea, he noted, "It is noexaggeration to state that the NorthSea over the years has served as thetest-bed for new developments in thewhole range of petroleum technology."From research and development ac-tivities emerged "a very innovative at-

titude in the oil industry in Norway,"said Rodland, and extended an invita-tion to U.S. suppliers to become involvedin a "joint business scheme aimed atmating complementary partners fromthe United States with the Norwegianoffshore industry. I am confident thatyour market access, marketing ex-perience and production capacity," heconcluded, "will successfully comple-ment Norwegian technology and ourwillingness to use our shelf and oilcompanies as the test-bed for new pro-ducts and services."

Michael A. Smith, president andmanaging director of Mobil Explora-tion Norway, Inc., shared his firm’s ex-periences in Norway and discussed op-portunities for technology developmentpresented by the environment in theNorth Sea.

Mobil became involved with the

Pictured above before the opening of the conference are Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire; NorwegianCrown Prince Harald; Jim Tompkins, president of the Houston World Trade Association; Port Commis-sioner Rey Gonzales; and Houston Chamber of Commerce President, Louie Welch,

12 Port of Houston Magazine

Norwegian industry in 1973, when thefirm pioneered a new area of offshoreoil and gas production using a newgeneration of concrete offshore drillingand production platforms at the BerylField, in the United Kingdom sector ofthe North Sea, he noted. This pioneer-ing effort led to involvement in thedevelopment of the Statfjord Field, thelargest industrial project ever under-taken by Norway, continued Smith,noting that by 1987 three platformsthere will be producing in excess of600,000 barrels daily.

Since Statjord production com-menced in 1979. Norwegian firms of-fering goods and services to the off-shore industry developed so rapidlythat 75 percent of participants in thisproject now are domestic firms, accor-ding to Smith. "Many of theNorwegian companies doing offshorework ’cut their teeth’ on the Statjordproject," he noted, "and have over theyears steadily developed competenceand adapted to the stringent re-quirements of the offshore industry."

Additionally, Smith said that

Norwegian industry currently has thecapability of manufacturing much ofthe onboard equipment required foroffshore oil development and produc-tion, and the nation’s marine equip-ment is among the best in the world.

There is potential for new hydrocarh

bon discoveries in the North Sea, headded. However, Smith predicted thatfuture discoveries will be in waterdepths of more than 600 feet and,therefore, will necessitate the creationand implementation of additional pro-duction techniques. []

December 1984 13

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14 Port of Houston Magazine

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December 1984 15

Ron Stone, Master of Ceremonies; Mrs. Eduardo Carrillo; and ConsulGeneral Eduardo Carrillo of Peru, vice-dean of the Consular Corps.

Thomas Dolson; Judie Dolson, chairperson of the Ladies Patron Commit-tee; Mrs. Sagebiel; and Bobby Sagebiel, chairman of the event.

The only event of its kind in the United States, the annualHouston Consular Ball brought together 55 foreigndiplomats and their guests with prominent Houston leadersrecently for a gala social affair that included dinner, dancing,and entertainment, in the Grand Ballroom of the WarwickPost Oak Hotel.

A Grand March of the Consuls along with their sponsors,assisted by the U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard, and a seriesof toasts offered by the city’s mayor, the Dean of the Con-sular Corps and other dignataries in mutual respect andcooperation highlighted the evening. The evening’s eventswere presided over by this year’s Honorary Chairman, BenF. Love, chair and chief executive officer of Texas Com-merce Bancshares, Inc., with Ron Stone, anchorman for thelocal NBC affiliate, KPRC-Channel 2, acting as Master ofCeremonies.

Special tribute was paid to the Commonwealth ofAustralia, represented by Consul General J.L. Ride, M.A. Adifferent nation has been honored each year since the ballbegan 33 years ago. Individuals, corporations and organiza-tions host each of the other nations represented at the func-tion. The Port of Houston hosted the Arab Republic ofEgypt. "Although one country is recognized, each ballhonors all of its foreign guests and celebrates Houston as’The International City,’ " noted Robert T. Sagebiel, whoserved as chairman of the XXXIII Consular Ball.

Sponsored by the International Relations Committee ofthe Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce, with assistancefrom the Ladies’ Patron Committee, the ball is an expressionof Houston’s commitment to international relations and ap-preciation for the Consular Corps in Houston.

Noting that Houston has the second largest ConsularCorps in the United States, Sagebiel said that the annual af-fair is intended to honor Houston’s foreign diplomats andfoster an open and personal interchange between them andthe city’s civic, business and social leaders. []

Mrs. Marcella D. Perry, Commissioner for the Port of Houston Authority;Harry E. Walker; Mrs. Love; and Ben F. Love, honorary chairman of theConsular Ball.

The Honorable Rachadi Iskandar, Consul General of the Republic of In-donesia; Mrs. Iskandar; Mrs. Midani; Ayman Midani, Honorary Consul ofthe Syrian Arab Republic.

16 Port of Houston Magazine