While underway in the Gulf of Mexico a Houston pilot boat maneuvers alongside a deep draft vessel to pick up Master Pilot Sean Cook after he completed the job of piloting the tanker from a dock in Port Houston on October 8, 2016. Since 2006, six American pilots have died in pilot ladder accidents. #

With the Houston skyline in the background, an LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) tanker rests at a dock in the Houston Ship Channel on October 7, 2016. There are more than 150 private and public industrial terminals along the 52 miles of the channel. #

Vessel Traffic Management Specialist Aaron Makin scans the computer monitors for activity in the Houston Ship Channel on November 1, 2016. The Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) operates under the auspices of the U.S. Coast Guard. #

Houston Master Pilot Mark Peace navigates a 650-foot-long cargo ship through the upper section of the Houston Ship Channel on October 7, 2016. Peace’s duties include undocking the vessel; navigating the narrow channel; making passing arrangements with other vessels and monitoring several radio channels to keep apprised of conditions ahead of him. #

After simultaneously passing two barges on the right and a deep-draft vessel on the left Houston Master Pilot Kent Barton prepares to pass beneath the Fred Hartman Bridge on October 8, 2016. A 2015 study reports that Houston Ship Channel-related businesses contribute 1,174,567 jobs throughout Texas. #

An image of a Russian Orthodox Saint adorns the bridge of a Russian-crewed vessel during a trip to a dock in Port Houston on October 8, 2016. Port Houston is the number one port in the US in terms of foreign tonnage. #

The Lynchburg Ferry crosses the Houston Ship Channel connecting Lynchburg to the north and La Porte to the south on October 8, 2016. The 1,080 foot crossing is the oldest operating ferry service within the state of Texas and carries automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians for free. #

The Sam Houston Tollway Ship Channel Bridge, aka the $2 bridge, frames a view of some of the industries along the banks of the Houston Ship Channel that make up the largest petro-chemical complex in the U.S. on December 5, 2016. #

A view of the Bayport container vessel terminal with Galveston Bay in the background on November 13, 2016. More than 8,000 vessels and 200,000 barges pass through the Port of Houston each year. #

Andrew Kuebler pilots a G&H Towing tugboat as it is being towed by the Bow Santos on December 5, 2016. The tugboat acts as a brake to help slow deep-draft vessels as they approach the dock. #

Longshoreman W.J. Robertson poses for a portrait as he works to clear the fastening poles that help hold the containers together so the crane can then lift and carry them to awaiting semi trucks on November 13, 2016. #

Situated on the Houston Ship Channel, the San Jacinto Monument, seen here on December 9, 2016, marks the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. The monument, constructed between 1936 and 1939, is the world's tallest masonry column. #

From left: Coast Guard Machinery Technician Christopher Shutter, Boatswain's Mate Scott Willard, Machinery Technician Vincent Lopez and Boatswain's Mate Johnathan Urrutia pose for a photo in front of the USS Texas and the San Jacinto Monument in the Houston Ship Channel on November 2, 2016. #

A tanker lies at anchor outside of Galveston in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday morning, October 8, 2016. There were more than 50 deep-draft vessels at anchor on this particular morning. #

A cruise ship passes by one of the Houston pilot boats outside of Galveston in the Gulf of Mexico on October 8, 2016. No deep draft vessel may enter the Houston Ship Channel without a Houston Pilot at the helm. #

Houston Master Pilot Mark Peace keeps the bridge as dark as possible as he navigates through the dark, narrow channel on October 7, 2016. On the horizon are lights from the largest petrochemical complex in the U.S. #

A detail shot of a Houston Ship Channel chart on the bridge of a ship as it is navigated toward the Gulf of Mexico on October 7, 2016. While the Pilots use their own laptop computers to navigate, the First Mate of the vessel followed along on the chart. #

Towboat Captain Ken Whittredge places his baseball hat on his bed at the end of his 12-hour shift on November 2, 2016. E Squared pilots work 20 days on, 10 days off. #

Part of the larger Port of Houston complex, Barbours Cut - seen here on December 9, 2016 - is the largest of the terminals and the first port in Texas to handle standardized cargo containers. Opened in 1977, the Barbours Cut Terminal was built at a cost of US$53 million (US$207 million in today's terms). The new terminal had a distinct geographical advantage over the old Turning Basin terminal. Whereas Turning Basin, situated upriver at the navigational head of Buffalo Bayou, is 6 hours or more from the Gulf, Barbours Cut requires only three hours travel time. #

Clark Freight Lines truck driver Francisco Hinojosa back in his cab at the Barbours Cut Terminal after a spot inspection on November 16, 2016 by a joint task force which included the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Patrol, Harris County Sheriff's Department, ICE and TSA. #

U.S. Coast Guardsman Erick Gracia puts a Do Not Move sign on this container. After they opened it, they were unable to get it closed again during a joint agency task force spot inspection at the Barbours Cut Terminal on November 16, 2016. #

A tugboat passes in front of the USS Texas on October 8, 2016. Moored along the Houston ship Channel, the Texas is the only remaining World War I-era dreadnought and the only remaining capital ship to have served in both World Wars. #

Longshoreman E.A. McSpadden works to clear the fastening poles that help hold the containers together so the crane can then lift and carry them to awaiting semi trucks on November 13, 2016. #

G&H Towing Deckhand Trinidad Gonzalez feeds out a towline to the Bow Santos on December 15, 2016. G&H tugs are operated by four person crews and most crews work a four day on/four day off work schedule. #