The port is a 50-mile-long (80 km) complex of diversified public and private facilities located a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico.

[5] Many petroleum corporations have built refineries along the channel where they are partially protected from the threat of major storms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Shipping points grew at multiple locations on Buffalo Bayou including the port of Harrisburg (now part of Houston) and the docks on the Allen Ranch.

By the end of the 19th century Buffalo Bayou had become a major shipping channel with traffic beginning to rival Galveston.

The Port has two separate terminals dedicated to the handling of cargo containers: Barbours Cut (at Morgan's Point), and Bayport (in Pasadena, opened in October 2006).

[13] The Port Authority offers a 90-minute free cruise aboard the M/V Sam Houston, details of which can be found on its website.

Since the Houston Ship Channel is closed to recreational traffic, this is the only means by which the general public can view port operations, and thus the tours are highly popular.

[needs update] The Turning Basin Terminal is a multipurpose complex with open wharves and 37 docks that are used for direct discharge and loading of breakbulk, containerized, project or heavy-lift cargoes.

[22] Notable firsts include: In 1968 Texas historian Marilyn McAdams Sibley published The Port of Houston: A History.