Port of Brownsville Celebrates 90 Years of Economic Leadership

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Friday, Oct. 10, 2026 – Celebrating 90 years of progress in 2026, the Port of Brownsville has transformed a bold vision into an economic powerhouse, securing billions in private investment and anchoring one of the fastest-growing manufacturing and logistics hubs in Texas.

Established by voters in 1928 and officially opened in 1936, the port reshaped the southernmost tip of Texas from an agriculture-based economy into a global trade gateway. The construction of the Brownsville Ship Channel during the Great Depression connected the Rio Grande Valley to the Gulf of Mexico and laid the groundwork for decades of industrial expansion.

From its earliest days, the port evolved from handling agricultural products and earning the title “Number One Cotton Port in the Nation” to managing grains and shrimp, and ultimately becoming a diversified logi

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Saronic Breaks Ground on Port Alpha, a New Model for American Shipbuilding

Vice President JD Vance and Governor Greg Abbott join Saronic in Brownsville, Texas, to break ground on Port Alpha, the next milestone in the company’s plan to rebuild American shipbuilding capacity at speed and scale

BROWNSVILLE, Texas –Wednesday, September 30, 2026 – Saronic today announced the groundbreaking of Port Alpha, a next-generation American shipyard built to restore the nation’s maritime industrial capacity. Situated on 835 acres at the Port of Brownsville with the option to expand to nearly 4,400 acres, Port Alpha repr

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Port of Brownsville Hosts 90th Anniversary Grand Community Celebration

BROWNSVILLE, Texas –Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 – The Port of Brownsville is celebrating 90 years of service to the Rio Grande Valley with its 90th Anniversary Grand Community Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Port of Brownsville Business Park.

Held every five years, the Anniversary Grand Community Celebration commemorates the port’s opening on May 16, 1936. From its early days moving agricultural products to markets across the world, the Port of Brownsville has helped transform the region’s economic landscape and now supports diverse industries including shipbuilding, ship recycling, steel, energy, construction, and space.

As the only deepwater seaport directly on the U.S.-Mexico border, the port plays a vital role in international trade and continues to create jobs and economic opportunities throughout the Rio Grande Valley and Texas

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Notice About 2026 Tax Rates

Property Tax Rates in BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT.

This notice concerns the 2026 property tax rates for BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT.

This notice provides information about two tax rates used in adopting the current tax year’s tax rate.
The no-newrevenue tax rate would impose the same amount of taxes as last year if you compare properties taxed in both years. In most cases, the voter-approval tax rate is the highest tax rate a taxing unit can adopt without holding an election. In each case, these rates are calculated by dividing the total amount of taxes by the current taxable value with adjustments as required by state law. The rates are given per $100 of property value.

This year’s no-new-revenue tax rate: $0.023318 / $100

This year’s voter-approval tax rate: $0.026417 / $100

BND Adopts Homestead Tax Relief for Qualifying Homeowners

BROWNSVILLE, Texas –Thursday, August 20, 2026 – The Brownsville Navigation District (BND) Board of Commissioners at a regular meeting held Wednesday, Aug. 19, unanimously approved the adoption of a resolution establishing the maximum local-option residence homestead exemption allowed under Texas law for persons age 65 or older and for disabled persons.

“The Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners is proud to provide meaningful tax relief to residents in our communities,” said Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez. “I commend my fellow commissioners as we remain united in our commitment to bring good-paying jobs to the region while creating opportunities that enhance quality of life.”

Under the resolution, pursuant to Section 11.13 of the Texas Property Tax Code, qualifying homeowners within the district will now rece

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U.S. Energy Secretary Visits for Industry Roundtable

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — August 11, 2026 — The Port of Brownsville continues strengthening its position as a driving force behind the Rio Grande Valley’s economic future.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright met Tuesday, Aug. 4, with the Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners and port leadership at the Port of Brownsville Administrative Office for an industry roundtable alongside elected officials, industry and education partners, as well as key stakeholders.

Highlighting the port’s role in liquefied natural gas exports, SpaceX operations and the first new major U.S. oil refinery built in more than 50 years, Wright touted growth for the region.

“In the simplest terms, I’d say, the Trump administration’s goal is to build big things in America again,” said Wright. “Leaning in

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From Campus to Op(port)unity: Inside the Port of Brownsville Summer Internship Program

Editor’s Note: The following article is written by Jasmin Nicole Espinosa, who shares her experience as one of the Port of Brownsville’s 2026 summer interns.

By Jasmin Nicole Espinosa 

Like many people who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, we probably passed by the Port of Brownsville countless times. We knew it was an important part of our community, but I never truly understood what happened beyond its gates until I came on board as an intern at the port.Read More

Saronic and Samsung Heavy Industries Partner to Accelerate the Reindustrialization of American Shipbuilding in the Era of Autonomy

By Saronic Team

Article published July 23, 2026

Saronic and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) today,  announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of autonomy-capable maritime systems and technologies to strengthen America’s shipbuilding industrial base. Through this partnership, the companies will harness technology and expertise to build the maritime industrial capacity and workforce needed to deliver on American and allied shipbuilding needs, both today and into the future.

The companies unveiled the partnership at the launch of the Korea–U.S. Shipbuilding Pa

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Port of Brownsville Welcomes Saronic Technologies

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — July 16, 2026 — Continuing its storied shipbuilding tradition, the Port of Brownsville today welcomed Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement that Saronic Technologies has selected the port as the home of Port Alpha, a $3.2 billion next-generation shipyard expected to create more than 10,000 direct jobs in the region.

Port Alpha represents one of the largest economic development projects in the history of the Rio Grande Valley and the State of Texas and reinforces the port’s long-standing role in America’s shipbuilding industry.

In addition to the thousands of direct jobs created, the shipyard is expected to generate more than $160 billion in regional economic impact for Cameron County and $264.5 billion for the State of Texas.

Port Alpha will encompass 835 acres, with construction slated to begin in 2026, allowing the project to expand in s

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Texas Shrimp Association Hosts Blessing of the Fleet

By Jasmin Nicole Espinosa

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — July 14, 2026 — Under partly cloudy skies, vessel engines are ready, fishing nets are prepared and the wait is nearly over for Gulf shrimpers as the commercial shrimp season officially opens July 15 in Texas and federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. 

On July 8, community members, shrimpers and their families gathered at the Port of Brownsville’s Read More

Glenfarne Issues Limited Notice to Proceed for Texas LNG

HOUSTON and BROWNSVILLE, Texas – July 2, 2026 – Glenfarne Group, LLC  today announced that Texas LNG Brownsville LLC, its subsidiary developing the Texas LNG export terminal at the Port of Brownsville, has provided the project’s Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (“EPC”) Contractor, Kiewit Energy Group Inc., with a Limited Notice to Proceed.

The LNTP to Kiewit covers purchase orders for long-lead equipment, engineering activities for the EPC phase, and geotechnical work required to ready Texas LNG for full construction and a final investment decision (“FID”).

“The LNTP work and purchase orders demonstrate the strength of the project’s world-class partner network and Glenfarne’s continued disciplined advancement of Texas LNG,” said Brendan Duval, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Glenfarne. “By progressing key equipment, engineering

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Port of Brownsville Celebrates Completion of Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — June 25, 2026 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District, the Brownsville Navigation District (BND), which operates the Port of Brownsville, and NextDecade celebrated the completion of the Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Port of Brownsville, June 25, 2026.

The project deepened the Brownsville Ship Channel by an additional 10 feet, increasing the entrance and jetty channels from 44 feet to 54 feet and the main channel from 42 feet to 52 feet. The completed project places the Port of Brownsville among Texas’ deepest deep-draft ports, and the Brownsville Ship Channel among the deepest navigation channels in the Gulf region.

The deeper channel improves maritime access for larger vessels carrying heavier cargo, increases navigation safety, reduces transit times and strengthens the role o

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Port of Brownsville Charts Bold Future at Annual State of the Port Address

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — June 12, 2026 — The Port of Brownsville welcomed business leaders, elected officials, industry partners and community stakeholders to its annual State of the Port Address on Thursday, June 11, at the Rancho Viejo Conference Center.

During the event, the Brownsville Navigation District (BND) Board of Commissioners and Port Director and CEO William Dietrich celebrated  the port’s 90th anniversary and outlined its continued growth, infrastructure investments and expanding economic impact across the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas.

“We currently have projects in our pipeline representing more than $30 billion in potential investment at this port,  in energy, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense and critical supply chains,” BND Vice Chairman Ernesto Gutierrez said. “These are industries reshaping the American economy, an

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Commissioner John Wood Retires After Three Terms, Marking the Close of a Distinguished Era of Public Service

Commissioner John Wood, Place 2, is joined by his wife and son after receiving a proclamation and award of recognition for his years of dedicated service to the district at a regular BND board meeting held May 13, in the BND boardroom.

 

By Christina R. Garza/Port of Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — May 21, 2026 —John Wood arrived in Brownsville in 1970 as a 23-year-old Southwestern Bell company manager. More than five decades later, he is retiring from public service after helping shape some of the city’s most consequential ci

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BND Commission Appoints New Chairman

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — May 21, 2026 — The Brownsville Navigation District (BND) Board of Commissioners appointed Sergio Tito Lopez as Chairman and welcomed two new commissioners, marking a significant transition in leadership at the Port of Brownsville.

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, the board also appointed its new officers: Commissioner Ernesto Gutierrez as Vice Chairman and Commissioner John Reed as Secretary of the Board.

Earlier in that meeting, Commissioner for Place 2, David A. Garcia, was administered the Oath of Office by Judge Leonel Alejandro. A first-term commissioner, Garcia succeeds Comm

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