Venture to run Houston Barbours Cut empty container yard

Venture to run Houston Barbours Cut empty container yard Barbours Cut Intermodal Services (BCIS) and Ports America Texas Inc. said Wednesday they have jointly created Integrated Marine Services, which will operate their combined empty container yards near the Port of Houston’s Barbours Cut Container Terminal.
   BCIS and Ports America will each own half of the company, with the two entities having signed a long-term lease for the 43-acre common user facility with the Port of Houston Authority. It will be the closest yard to the Barbours Cut Terminal and will serve as the Port of Houston Authority’s primary facility for the handling empty containers. Operations will start May 1.
   “We are excited about the formation of IMS,” said Jimmy Jamison, Port of Houston Authority director of operations, in a statement. “We believe that the trucking industry and steamship lines will benefit from improvements in land utilization and traffic flow. One large empty depot should enhance productivity and provide economies of scale.”