Pier 21 event kicks off port’s 200th anniversary year with vessel tours, ceremony and more

• Tours of 87-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter and other vessels
• Maritime exhibits
• Ceremony with color guard, student choir, wreath presentation and speakers
• 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, May 22, at Pier 21, 2100 Harborside Dr., Galveston
• Visit bicentennial website, www.portofgalveston200.com

GALVESTON, TX (Tuesday, May 13, 2025) – The Port of Galveston will kick off its 200th anniversary year with a big National Maritime Day event presented by Wallenius Wilhelmsen 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, May 22, at Pier 21, 2100 Harborside Dr. The event is free and open to the public.

Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO, said, “We’re excited to officially kick off our port bicentennial year of celebrations with this public event to commemorate National Maritime Day and to spotlight maritime careers.

“And we’re honored to have Wallenius Wilhelmsen as presenting sponsor. The roll-on/roll-off cargo carrier is celebrating 30 years of operations at the Port of Galveston.”

Activities include tours of an 87-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter and other vessels, as well as maritime information booths. Attendees will have the opportunity to also meet crews from the Port of Galveston Police Department response vessel, a Galveston-Texas City Pilots vessel, and the Earl L. Milan, a research and training vessel at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

Commemorative Ceremony

The ceremony at 10 a.m. will feature a law enforcement color guard, a student choir from Odyssey Academy and speakers to commemorate the contributions of the maritime industry and particularly merchant marines in strengthening the U.S. economy and securing our nation.

Col. (Ret.) Michael E. Fossum will speak about the importance of maritime careers and the need for workers to support the growing maritime industry. Col. Fossum is vice president, Texas A&M University; chief operating officer, Texas A&M University at Galveston; and superintendent, Texas A&M Maritime Academy.

Maritime History Tour
After the Maritime Day event, visit Rosenberg Library, 2310 Sealy Ave., for a self-guided maritime history tour. Explore the library to find objects from the Rosenberg Library Museum collection, including art, artifacts and ship models that help tell the story of Galveston as a maritime city. Pick up a tour flyer at any service desk. Library hours on May 22 will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

About Galveston’s National Maritime Day

The Galveston Wharves at the Port of Galveston has commemorated National Maritime Day with an annual public event for more than 15 years to recognize and remember all who work in the maritime industry. Congress declared May 22 as National Maritime Day in 1933.

Rees said, “We recognize the contributions of those who work in the maritime industry, and in particular merchant marines, to strengthen the U.S. economy and secure our nation.”

The maritime industry supports a wide range of businesses and jobs, including ship pilots, ship crews, barge and tugboat crews, union workers, shipping stevedores, onshore cruise staff, truck drivers, railroad workers, construction workers, ship builders, administrative staffs and many more.

Rees said, “Thanks to the generous support of presenting sponsor Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a long-time port cargo shipping partner, we’re able to make this year’s event the biggest yet. We encourage the community to join us for this special day.”

About the Port’s 200th Anniversary

The Port of Galveston is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a full year of activities to spotlight the port’s history, as well as the contributions of the port and its port partners to economic growth. The following events are funded by sponsors with net proceeds to fund maritime scholarships.

• Thursday, May 22 – National Maritime Day event presented by Wallenius Wilhelmsen at Pier 21
• Friday, Oct. 17 – Party on the Pier public event presented by Royal Caribbean with a drone show, live music, food trucks and family fun at Pier 21
• Saturday, Oct. 18 – Gala dinner and dancing presented by Carnival Cruise Line at Galveston Island Convention Center
• October – Port history book released

The port’s fascinating history is filled with tales of pirates, naval battles, riches and resilience. It was established as a provisional port and customs entry by a proclamation issued by the Congress of Mexico on October 17, 1825, while the land known as Texas belonged to Mexico. The port has operated as the Galveston Wharves since 1940, when it became a city entity.

Today, the 840-acre port is a thriving commercial center with infrastructure and assets to serve growing cruise, cargo and commercial businesses. The port is the fourth most popular cruise home port in the U.S., hosting five major cruise lines and moving more than 3.4 million cruise passengers a year.

The port also leases and maintains a wide range of cargo facilities on the deep-water Galveston Harbor, which is ranked among the top 40 busiest U.S. cargo waterways.

Visit the port’s bicentennial website, www.portofgalveston200.com, for more information about bicentennial events and port history.

About Wallenius Wilhelmsen
The Wallenius Wilhelmsen group is a market leader in roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) shipping and vehicle logistics, managing the distribution of cars, trucks, rolling equipment, and breakbulk to customers all over the world. The company operates around 125 vessels servicing 15 trade routes to six continents, a global inland distribution network, 66 processing centers, and eight marine terminals. With its head office in Oslo, Norway, the Wallenius Wilhelmsen group has 9,545 employees in 28 countries worldwide. Read more at www.walleniuswilhelmsen.com

About the Port of Galveston

Located at the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel, the Port of Galveston has been a thriving maritime commercial center since 1825. Just 45 minutes from open seas, the 840-acre port has infrastructure and assets to serve growing cruise, cargo and commercial businesses.

The port is the fourth most popular cruise home port in the U.S. The port also leases and maintains a wide range of cargo facilities on the deep-water Galveston Harbor, which is ranked among the top 40 busiest U.S. cargo waterways. The Galveston Wharves is a self-sustaining city entity whose mission is to generate and reinvest port revenues to benefit the Galveston community with economic growth, jobs and sales tax revenues. www.portofgalveston.com