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Port of Brownsville Chairman’s Award Presented to West Plains LLC

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—The Port of Brownsville presented West Plains LLC with its 2018 Chairman’s Award in recognition of the company’s investments and rehabilitation efforts of the port’s iconic grain elevator.

Brownsville Navigation District Chairman John Reed presented the award to West Plains CEO Amit Bhandari at the port’s annual customer appreciation luncheon, Dec. 4. The event was attended by nearly 200 guests, including local, regional and state public officials, port tenants, community and regional business leaders.

“West Plains’ dedicated investments at the port allow for more quality job opportunities in our region and provide South Texas farmers the opportunity for their products to reach international markets,” said Reed. “We are proud to partner with a company that believes in the port and the people of the Rio Grande Valley.”

West Plains entered in

Survey Reveals Strong Support for Port of Brownsville as Positive Economic Driver for the Rio Grande Valley

More than 95 percent say port has positive economic impact; 57 percent plan for more port business next year

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Port of Brownsville, the only deepwater port located on the U.S.-Mexico border, completed its first public opinion survey of port tenants, logistics, stakeholders and other service personnel, revealing that 95 percent view the port favorably, with 57 percent of respondents planning to increase their port business activity in the next year.

“The Port of Brownsville’s strategic location combined with top dynamic economic industries—including energy and steel—provide the ideal hub for economic growth in the region and bilateral relationships between Mexico and the United States,” said Eduardo A. Campirano, port director and CEO of the Port of Brownsville. “The newly signed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement creates a favorable business

Port of Brownsville Receives $1.5M TxDOT Grant

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has awarded the Port of Brownsville a $1.5 million Rider 45 grant to enhance the port’s intermodal connectivity, further facilitating domestic and international trade in the Rio Grande Valley.

The state funds will be used for the construction of the South Port Connector Project, which is part of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority’s (CCRMA) East Loop Corridor plan. When complete, the port connector road will span two miles and will connect Ostos Road at the port with State Highway 4.

“The Port of Brownsville is a valuable asset to the Texas economy and a major economic force in the region,” said John Reed, Brownsville Navigation District Chairman. “Infrastructure improvements such as the port connector facilitate our efforts in strengthening the port’s position as the main hub for domestic

Made in Brownsville for the World to See

Keppel AmFELS and Pasha Hawaii celebrate steel cutting for two new containerships

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Construction of the first of two containerships is underway at the Port of Brownsville.

On Sept. 25, Keppel AmFELS cut the first steel plates for the M/V George III, one of two ‘Ohana Class vessels the Brownsville-based company is building for the Pasha Hawaii fleet, which provides service to the Hawaii/Mainland trade lane.

Once built, the new 774-foot U.S. Jones Act vessels will carry 2,525 TEUs, with a sailing speed of 23.0 knots. The design of the ship’s hull has been fully optimized using computational fluid dynamics and will be one of the most hydrodynamically efficient hulls in the world. Delivery of the vessels is expected in 2020.

“We are pleased to be able to support the Pasha Hawaii fleet with the design, engineering and constr

STURGIS vessel en route to Brownsville for final shipbreaking and recycling

GALVESTON, Texas – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ STURGIS vessel left this morning for the Port of Brownsville for her final journey. In two to three days, she will arrive at the International Shipbreaking Limited facility where she will be dismantled for recycling. The vessel is being towed from Galveston where it has undergone radiological decommissioning that included the safe removal of all components of the deactivated nuclear reactor and all associated radioactive waste that was formerly onboard the STURGIS.

The STURGIS was the world’s first floating nuclear power plant. She was converted from a World War II Liberty Ship in the 1960s to a mobile nuclear plant. Over the past three years in Galveston, Texas, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and it prime contractor, APTIM Federal Services, has been implementing the challenging and complex efforts to d

Congressman Vela Announces Infrastructure Grant

BROWNSVILLE, Texas –Congressman Filemon Vela (D-TX) announced today that U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration will provide a grant to the Port of Brownsville. The port will be awarded $1.8 million for the assembly of a Public Vessel Assembly and Erection Pad (PAD) which will assist businesses in the ship-building industry.

“This infrastructure project is critical to the continued economic development of South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. It will create jobs and bring private investment to the area,” Rep. Vela said. “I look forward to continuing my work alongside congressional colleagues and local leaders to ensure that South Texas has the needed resources to keep moving forward.”

“This grant demonstrates the federal government’s confidence in the Port of Brownsville and its role in helping create 700 high-paying new jobs for our comm

Port of Brownsville Recognizes National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — For the third consecutive year, the Port of Brownsville joins the entire U.S. trucking industry in celebration of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (ATA), Sept. 9-14.

“Cargo moving to and from the Port of Brownsville gets there basically by water, rail or road. It’s a relationship dependent upon the cooperation of each mode of transportation and truck drivers play a vital role in our success,” said John Reed, chairman of the Brownsville Navigation District.

The event highlights the efforts of professional truck drivers who deliver the nation’s freight safely and securely every day. In 2017, the Port of Brownsville recorded more than 300,000 truck movements.

According to the American Trucking Association, there are more than 3.5 million professional truck drivers nationwide. These professional men and women log more than 273 billion miles annu

Port of Brownsville Announces New Directors

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Port of Brownsville announces the promotion of a new director of finance and the appointment of a new director of special projects.

Lorena Hernandez, CPA, is the port’s new finance director following the retirement of Steve Fitzgibbons. Fitzgibbons served as the port’s finance director for more than five years.

Hernandez manages the port’s nine-member financial team, winner of six consecutive Certificates of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting presented by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). She was previously assistant finance director.

Prior to joining the port, Hernandez worked for a local CPA firm and served as an internal auditor for the University of Texas System. She is a Class 1 Assessor/Collector and an active member of the Texas Association of Assessing Officers, American Ins

Texan port confident of weathering Trump’s tariff storm

At Brownsville, a gateway for steel into Mexico, bilateral trade shows no signs of cooling

BY JUDE WEBBER / Financial Times

Article published Tuesday, July 24, 2018

A huge crane unloads giant steel slabs off a ship from Russia, destined for factories in Mexico. Queues of trucks, some of the 800 a day heading across the border, fill up with oil products. Steel coils, animal feed, sugar and colossal wind turbines lie in warehouses or lots awaiting their journey south.

This is the Port of Brownsville in Texas, the biggest gateway for steel into Mexico, a big handler of US oil products heading over the border and the front line in Washington’s escalating trade war with its neighbour and Nafta partner. The US ratcheted up tensions this month by filing complaints against Mexico and other countries at the World Trade Organiza

Home Sweet Home: Newly Renovated Administration Complex Opens in August

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — There is no place like home.

After 18 months, the Brownsville Navigation District and Port of Brownsville staff returns to their home in the completely repurposed and enlarged administration office campus at 1000 Foust Road.

In January 2017, the port’s administrative offices were temporary relocated to the Keppel AmFELS complex at 20000 SH 48 while the port’s main building underwent a needed renovation and expansion.

The renovated office campus adds 12,473 square feet of new office space for a total of 26,500 square feet. The project included remodeling the two existing pods, adding a third pod, and building a new office adjacent to the port’s Foust Road entrance to accommodate a truck permitting office with a truck staging area and a modern records facility.

The repurposed offices have been completely gutted, retrofitted and cost-effectively mode

Port of Brownsville Releases New Directory

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Port of Brownsville released its comprehensive directory for 2018. The marketing and communications tool is an annual guide featuring in-depth articles, facts and details about the port and related industries.

The full color, 88-page publication serves as a useful guide for prospective clients looking to establish business opportunities in the region and for the community at large to learn more about the port’s role as a vital economic engine of the Rio Grande Valley.

The publication includes a detailed 4-page map of the port’s facilities highlighting tenants, docks, sheds, patios and other important assets. The business directory contains approximately 300 local, regional, state, national and international businesses listed in 63 different categories.

The directory is distributed to industry related companies and associations, area economic develo

USS Tripoli comes to Brownsville for scrapping

BY STEVE CLARK/The Brownsville Herald

Article published Thursday, July 19, 2018

Fifty-three years after it was launched from the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula, Miss., the 598-foot amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LPH 10) is now in for dismantling by International Shipbreaking LLC, part of the EMR Group.

The vessel was decommissioned and struck from the naval register in 1995 after nearly 30 years in service. The Tripoli was one of seven Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ships, the first vessels of their type designed as helicopter carriers. LPH stands for “Landing Platform Helicopter.” The first ship of the class, the Iwo Jima (LPH 2), was scrapped in 1996 in Brownsville.

The Tripoli completed three deployments to Vietnam during its career and was the first amphibious warship to carry a full squadron of AV-8 Harrier short-takeoff/vert

Hopes High for a Bountiful Shrimping Season

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – With the 2018 Gulf shrimp season under way, local shrimpers are hopeful they will not come back with their nets empty despite a continued shortage of workers that plagues the industry.

For the 13th consecutive year, Reverend Mark Watters led the traditional Blessing of the Fleet July 10, at the Port of Brownsville’s fishing harbor. During his sermon, Rev. Watters asked the dozens of people gathered to pray for a bountiful harvest this season and for the well-being of all shrimpers while they are out at sea. The shrimping season began July 16.

The industry continues to battle with a shortage of workers due to the lack of H-2B worker visas issued by the federal government. Andrea Hance, executive director for the Texas Shrimp Association, said for this year there were more than 200,000 visa applicants, but only 66,000 visas were made available for distributi

Duro Bag: A Story of Success

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The secret is out of the bag for Duro.

The company, a tenant of the Port of Brownsville since 1967, is a premier leader in the paper bag industry with approximately 2.5 billion paper bags manufactured annually for the grocery, retail, convenience and food markets.

“We are a small jewel at the Port of Brownsville,” said Frank Fernandez, plant manager at Duro Bag. “Our mission is to be the preeminent manufacturer of paper bags offering quality, innovative solutions and complete satisfaction to our customer base,” he added.

Duro Bag has a rich history of both manufacturing process creativity and product innovation with several current and pending patents in addition to more than 20 industry trademarks.

Since 2014, the company has been part of the Novolex family, a leading producer of plastic, paper and film products headquartered in Hartsville, Sou

New Captain of the Port for USCG Regional Sector

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi held a change-of-command ceremony May 5, where Capt. Edward Gaynor relieved Capt. Tony Hahn as commander of the sector.

Capt. Gaynor will now oversee South Texas waterways from the Port of Brownsville to Port Lavaca. His previous assignment was as the chief of incident management, 1st Coast Guard District.

Capt. Hahn was commander of the Corpus Christi sector since 2015. His next assignment is the chief of staff, Coast Guard Pacific Area.

On May 23, Capt. Gaynor paid his first visit to the Port of Brownsville as Captain of the Port and met with local authorities and port officials who briefed him on the port’s current maritime activity.

The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored tradition and deeply rooted in Coast Guard and Naval history. The event signifies a total transfer of responsibility, authority and accou