The Houston Ship channel starts at the northwest part of Galveston Bay and runs westward to inside loop I-610 to the city docks(48 of them)all generaal cargo and the turning basin. You see Exxon Baytown refinery, Shell Deer Park, and all along the south and north channel is nothing but chemical refineries and ship docks. I know a little about this industry as I have been working on ships here since 1975. I have been around several grain elevator explosions, chemical explosions etc. Search for the ship 'Chevron Hawaii' and you will find that it was hit by lightning and exploded, killed 3 people on deck(1 was a former fellow worker of mine. I was on a ship directly across the channel working on a radar, and it blew the windows out. It is a dangerous industry, but a profitable one. When visitors complain about the smell, some usually come back with 'the sweet smell of money'. Here is a closeup of the ship channel; carved out of a small stream called 'Buffalo Bayou'. Sorry for rambling, I am at my son and family up past the Big Airport waiting for Ike.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl
