Texas Boats of Freeport
Port Freeport has a long history, having been built over a century ago when Freeport’s first jetty system was constructed. The port has grown to become one of the fastest developing ports on the Gulf Coast, and currently stands as the 14th largest port in the United States, in terms of foreign tonnage handled.
The port is highly accessible by water, land, and rail, and offers a 400-foot wide, 45-foot deep channel. The port also owns more than 7500 acres of land, and is a prime development location for many national and international concerns.
The shipyard offers businesses specializing in the repair, construction, and maintenance of many different types of vessels, and is a major employer in the Freeport area.
During its 100-eyar history, the port has played many roles, and served the needs of many clients, including private, commercial, and government interests. During the World Wars, the port helped build and maintain vessels used during the war efforts, like many shipyards throughout the United States.
In addition to its wartime contributions, the shipyard shares another legacy with U.S. shipyards built prior to the mid 1970s: asbestos contamination.
Port Freeport has thrived as a repair and construction facility for marine vessels, but its success has come at a price to its employees. Prior to legislation which banned the use of asbestos in maritime manufacturing processes in the mid 1970s, the materials and parts used in shipbuilding and repair often contained asbestos. This fibrous, silica-based mineral was valued for its resistance to heat and corrosion, and offered manufacturers flexibility combined with strength. These attributes made asbestos a seemingly ideal material for marine applications, where temperature and moisture levels can vary regularly, and engine and propulsion system components must be flexible yet strong in order to function efficiently.
But asbestos also had a hidden danger, one that has lasting repercussions to any of the men and women who worked in or near it: the tiny fibers are easily inhaled and ingested, and once in the body, they can cause potentially deadly conditions, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.
The symptoms of malignant mesothelioma are slow to appear, sometimes requiring decades before being noticed by a health care professional. If you worked for the Port of Freeport, you should speak to your health care specialist about your exposure risks as mesothelioma navy cases are most common.
