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Brownsville Navigation District Considers Postponing May 2nd Election to Safeguard Community Against Coronavirus

Special Telephonic Meeting Scheduled for 12 p.m. Friday, March 27

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Tuesday, March 24, 2020 —The Brownsville Navigation District (BND) will consider postponing the scheduled May 2nd commission elections until November as a further step to safeguard the community from the potential spread of the coronavirus and pursuant to a proclamation of the Governor of Texas and a related advisory issued by the Texas Secretary of State.

If approved by the BND, the commission elections will be conducted on Tuesday, November 3 with other local, state and federal elections.

The postponement will be considered at a special meeting of the BND on Friday, March 27 at 12 p.m. Given the recommended restrictions on public gatherings, the meeting will be conducted by telephone conference call that is open to the public. Anyone wishing to participate in th

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Mensaje a Nuestra Comunidad Sobre el COVID-19

17 de marzo de 2020

Conscientes de la situación de salud actual por la propagación del COVID-19, el Puerto de Brownsville se mantiene atento a las medidas de precaución recomendadas por los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades, el Departamento del Salud del Estado de Texas y las dependencias de salud pública locales.

En estos momentos el Puerto de Brownsville opera bajo el protocolo de comunicación correspondiente al plan general de emergencia del distrito de navegación.

Desde el 2 de marzo de 2020, las autoridades portuarias han llevado a cabo una serie de reuniones con dependencias federales, empleados del puerto, representantes de las empresas que operan en el puerto y demás usuarios sobre las medidas de prevención para evitar el contagio del COVID-19.

Personal del puerto tambén ha adoptado las siguientes medidas para evitar la propaga

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An Advisory to Our Community Regarding COVID-19

April 6, 2020

Dear Colleagues and Business Partners,

In recent weeks, governments at the local, state and federal level have taken specific actions to curb and limit the spread of COVID-19. As of today, more than 100 million Americans have been ordered to stay home to protect public health. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers during the COVID-19 pandemic – which specifies trade, transport and logistics as essential industries.

The Port of Brownsville, and especially the Brownsville Navigation District, accepts its responsibility and recognizes the importance of our port remaining operational to support national, regional and local priorities during this difficult time.

The safety and well-being of our peo

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GFOA Recognizes Port of Brownsville for Excellence in Financial Reporting

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — For the eighth consecutive year, the Brownsville Navigation District Finance Department earned the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its 2019 comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

“This recognition is a testament to the Brownsville Navigation District’s commitment to best financial practices as the port’s tax base continues to grow”, said John Reed, BND chairman. “I congratulate and thank our BND Commission and port staff for this award and look forward to preserving this legacy of excellence for the

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Heavy Lifters Hit the Port

Two new mobile harbor cranes arrived Thursday, January 16, 2020 at the Port of Brownsville.

The cranes were purchased to increase the port’s on-dock lifting capacity due to higher demands of cargo volumes.

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Q&A with Eduardo Campirano on Mexico’s Natural Gas Market Development

Editor’s Note: NGI’s Mexico Gas Price Index, a leader tracking Mexico natural gas market reform, is offering the following question-and-answer (Q&A) column as part of a regular interview series with experts in the Mexican natural gas market.

This 22nd Q&A in the series is with Eduardo A. Campirano, Port Director and CEO of the Port of Brownsville, the only deepwater port on the U.S.-Mexico border. Since his appointment in 2007, the Port of Brownsville has improved its financial position by increasing its cash reserves, issued debt for infrastructure improvements, undertaken major road and infrastructure improvements and repairs, and has attracted port-related investments through public and private sector partnerships.

Campirano’s public service extends to his active participation in numerous civic and maritime industry organizations and

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New Mobile Harbor Cranes Arrive at Port of Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (January 20, 2020) – Two new mobile harbor cranes arrived Thursday, January 16, at the Port of Brownsville.

The cranes arrived at the port on board the 393-foot long specialized cargo carrier M/V BBC ASIA.

The Brownsville Navigation District ordered the Konecranes Gottwald Model 6 mobile harbor cranes in June 2019 to increase the port’s on-dock lifting capacity due to higher demands of cargo volumes.

“These cranes are one of the latest investments by the Port of Brownsville to meet the needs of our port tenants and growing list of clients,” said Brownsville Navigation District Chairman John Reed. “The BND is committed to

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Capital Improvement Projects

The Port of Brownsville is making significant investments to enhance operations and attract new businesses to the region. Take a look at how we are continuing to transform the economic landscape of the Rio Grande Valley.

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Port of Brownsville Foreign Trade Zone ranks in Top 3 in the U.S. for Exports

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—Wednesday, December 11, 2019— Foreign Trade Zone No. 62 (FTZ) at the Port of Brownsville remains near the top in the nation for the value of exports, according to the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board’s annual report to Congress released in late November.

FTZ No. 62 ranks third in the country with more than $3.8 billion in exported goods in 2018, an increase from the $3.5 billion reported in 2017. Since 2012, the port’s FTZ has consistently ranked in the top three for exports out of 293 FTZs nationwide. Additionally, FTZ No. 62 ranks number 21 in the nation for the value of imports totaling $3.9 billion, up from $3.6 billion in goods reported in 2017.

“Our consistent ranking among the top foreign trade zones in the country is the result of the Brownsville Navigation District’s commitment to enhance the port’s infrastructure to fa

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Port of Brownsville Recognizes Welding Works International with Annual Chairman’s Award

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—Tuesday, December 3, 2019— Welding Works International, Inc. has been named the Port of Brownsville 2019 Chairman’s Award honoree in recognition of the company’s 20-plus years of setting a high standard in safety training and providing ongoing contributions to the well-being of the Rio Grande Valley community.

Brownsville Navigation District Chairman John Reed presented the award to Welding Works President Alfredo de la Fuente at the Customer Appreciation Luncheon event held on December 3. The event was attended by more than 200 guests, including port tenants, business leaders and local, regional and state public officials.

“Welding Works International is a homegrown success story that is well-known for supporting a range of services to South Texas,” said Reed. “With large scale-industrial projects expected to kick-off at the port,

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NEWS RELEASE: Three New LNG Projects Moving Forward at the Port of Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—Thursday, November 21, 2019— The Port of Brownsville is one step closer to welcoming three new LNG projects with an investment totaling $38.75 billion after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved their proposals today during its monthly commission meeting.

“Today’s announcement is another significant milestone in making these energy projects a reality and is the result of years of hard work by the applicants,” said John Reed, Chairman of the Brownsville Navigation District. “We’d like to thank FERC for its effort and diligence in reviewing these proposals and thank our community for their support. These new energy projects reflect our long-term strategy and vision for the port to be a catalyst for economic growth in the Rio Grande Valley by encouraging domestic and international business investments and driving develo

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Special Feature: Deep Thinking

Editor’s Note: This article is featured in the latest edition of the Port of Brownsville Directory

Arguably, the most valuable asset of any port is the depth of its channel.

The depth of a port’s channel can be compared to the length of an airport’s runway. The longer the runway, the bigger the planes. The deeper the channel, the bigger the ships.

For example, with just one more inch of draft – or depth – a ship can carry 770,000 additional bushels of wheat valued at more than $60,000.

The Port of Brownsville plans to deepen its channel from 42 feet to 52 feet – 10 feet deeper! With that much additional draft, the cost savings for shipping goods across the Earth’s oceans reach an economy of scale far greater that those of the one-inch example. Which also means, more jobs to handle more cargo at the Port of Brownsville.

The port’s cu

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Special Feature: Building the Future From the Past at the Port of Brownsville

The Port of Brownsville knows shipbuilding and ship recycling, a combination of disciplines found nowhere else in the Lone Star State.

With shipbuilding DNA in its heritage, Keppel AmFELS is making waves at the Port of Brownsville. In late-April 2019, dignitaries participated in the ceremonial keel-laying of the M/V George III and the cutting of the first steel plate for the M/V Janet Marie. Delivery for both 774-foot-long vessels is set for 2020.

Keppel, traditionally the port’s largest employer and the foremost U.S. offshore rig builder, recently won construction contracts for the two container ships for Honolulu-based Pasha Hawaii, with options for two more. The contracts, valued at $400 million by Keppel, mean 700 new well-paying jobs at the port in 2019 and a new industry for Texas. The twin U.S. Jones Act vessels carry up to 2,525 TEUs and utilize Keppel’s proprietary LNG

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Port of Brownsville Recognizes Truck Drivers

The Port of Brownsville along with the entire trucking industry is honoring the millions of professional truck drivers who work to deliver America’s freight safely and securely every day.

During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 9-13), the Port of Brownsville will offer free breakfast and lunch to truck drivers doing business with the port. The port also partnered with the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority to distribute 500 giveaway bags to truck drivers at the Foust and SH 550 entrances.

On a daily basis the Port of Brownsville welcomes 800 to 1,000 trucks that enter the port to pick up cargo and deliver it across the nation. The types of commodities they carry- petroleum based products, sugar, salt, windmill components and steal- serve as the backbone of several industries in the U.S.

There are more than 3.5 million professional truck drivers nationwid

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Two New Mobile Cranes Coming to Brownsville

In June of this year, the Port of Brownsville ordered two new mobile harbor cranes increasing its dockside handling capacity as the seaport experiences higher cargo volumes across its range of services.

The two new Konecranes Gottwald Model 6 mobile harbor cranes will be delivered to the port fully assembled and commissioned, ready to begin work as early as December 2019. The cranes will handle a wide variety of cargo including breakbulk, bulk products, heavy project cargo and steel products.

The Model 6 cranes have advanced mobile harbor crane drive technology from Konecranes that meets EPA Tier 4f emission standards, helping the Port of Brownsville reduce its environmental footprint.

“The Port of Brownsville continues to invest significantly in its continued growth, including expansion of our on-dock lifting capacity,” said Eduardo A. Campirano, Port Director and CEO of th

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