In the mid-1970s, ARCO Chemical Company awarded Fluor the engineering and construction of their new barge terminal project in Channelview, Texas. The complete facility included two finger piers, mooring dolphins, spill control systems and onshore pipelines and was capable of accommodating eight barges simultaneously.

Extensive dredging operations were required at the onset of the project, as the abandoned sand pit site had to be deepened to handle barges and tug vessels. A channel also had to be cut to connect the San Jacinto River and further deepen the terminal basis.

The spill control system provided an immediate temporary spill retardant backed up by a more efficient boom system. The immediate control system used an underwater pipe fitted with hundreds of nozzles. A compressor onshore would start should a spill occur, forcing air into the pipe/nozzles, forming a curtain of air bubbles to contain the spilled material. The bubble barrier would retard the progress of the spill, while a utility boat positioned the floating rubber boom across the basin to completely retain then recover by a separator system.