SteelCoast completes acquisition of Esco’s former assets

BY STEVE CLARK/The Brownsville Herald

Article published May 3, 2017

 

BROWNSVILLE – More than two years after shutting down operations, the former Esco Marine Inc. ship recycling yard will restart operations under new ownership and a new name: SteelCoast.

The new company is a joint venture of Hilco Redevelopments Partners, a unit of Hilco Global, and MCM Marine Services, an affiliate of MCM Management Corp.

Gary Epstein, Hilco Global’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said the purchase of assets from the previous owner was completed Monday evening and that operations would restart immediately. Kris Wood, Esco’s former vice president of administration, was tapped as SteelCoast CEO.

Esco ceased operations in February 2015, putting 300 employees out of work, and filed for bankruptcy the following month. The decommissioned

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West Plains Receives First Unit Train of Grain at Port of Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – West Plains LLC received its first grain of the season April 25th at the Port of Brownsville with the arrival of 109 rail cars of corn from Nebraska.

West Plains entered into an agreement with the port in 2016 to restore and operate the grain elevator, with capacity to store three million bushels of grain. Since restoration efforts began, West Plains has invested more than $5.5 million in preparation of Tuesday’s shipment, the first at the port in more than seven years. Eventually, West Plains expects to receive 220 rail cars monthly.

The initial shipment of 109 rail cars is equivalent to 440 semi-truck loads. The corn will be stored for less than 30 days before being trucked to feed lots north of the Rio Grande Valley and parts of the Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon.

“We feel like we’re just scratching the surface,” said Amit Bhandari,

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Texas LNG Selects Engineering Firms to Build Plant

Texas LNG contracted Samsung Engineering and KBR, Inc. to design and build its LNG export facility proposed at the Port of Brownsville.

Samsung Engineering and KBR will provide Texas LNG with pre-final investment decision (pre-FID) detailed engineering and post-final investment decision (post-FID) engineering, procurement and construction services for its proposed 4 million tons per year LNG export facility.

Samsung Engineering has already completed the conceptual study, pre-front end engineering design (Pre-FEED) and FEED for the project.

The Pre-FID detailed engineering, expected to begin this year, will include further design and schedule optimization, identification of long lead items and early works commitments, early preparation of purchase orders, and all due diligence in relation to technical commercial and contractual matters that will enable Samsung Engineering and KBR

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Bill Aiming to Fund Texas Ports Clears Senate Committee

A bill creating a fund supporting future improvements to ship channels in Texas is heading to the full Senate for consideration.

Senate Bill 28, filed by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and co-authored by senators Juan “Chuy” Hijonosa, D-McAllen, and Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, received unanimous approval from the Senate Transportation Committee in March and is now awaiting approval from the Senate and House chambers.

The bill proposes the creation of a ship channel improvement revolving fund, controlled by the Texas Department of Transportation, which would help navigation districts finance qualified projects like channel widening or deepening. According to the bill, only projects authorized under the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) would be considered for funding.

In December 2016, the Port of Brownsville received full congressional authorization to pursue fede

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CSC Sugar Begins Operations at the Port of Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE – CSC Sugar began its new packaging and distribution operations at the Port of Brownsville March 22, 2017.

Key to the company’s expansion to Brownsville is the port’s rail infrastructure and cargo capabilities.

“We chose the Port of Brownsville specifically because it provides great access from both Union Pacific and BNSF railroads. It’s excellent rail connectivity. The freight rate to Brownsville is basically the same regardless where you’re coming from, whether it’s from the sugar growing regions in Minnesota or Idaho,” said Paul Farmer, CEO and president of CSC Sugar. “Having the Brownsville Rio Grande International Railway as the local short line is also a key part of the deal,” he added.

In 2014, the port signed a strategic partnership with OmniTRAX to operate BRG and develop the 1,400-acre GEOTRAC Industrial Hub.

“The Port of Brownsvill

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Port of Brownsville Launches New Website

The Port of Brownsville launched its redesigned website at www.portofbrownsville.com on February 7, 2017.

The new website is an improvement from the previous site and features a cleaner and more visually impactful design providing visitors greater detail and information about the port, along with downloadable and printable forms to accelerate business activities. It also features enhanced content for marketing, media relations and public information.

The website’s new menu includes:

  • About the Port: visitors can find information about the port’s history, capabilities and infrastructure assets such as updates on key projects, information about security, financials, Foreign Trade Zone No. 62, harbor master office, fishing harbor, and career opportunities.
  • Business with the Port: highlights real e
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Registration Open For Annual Port of Brownsville 5K/1M Run/Walk

Pre-registration is open for the annual Port of Brownsville 5K/1M run/walk scheduled for March 4, 2017.

The event is part of The Challenge-RGV, an initiative by the University of Texas School of Public Health encouraging local residents to increase physical activity and live a healthy life.

To register, download form POB 5K1M REGISTRATION 2017 and submit to info@portofbrownsville.com, or call (956) 831-4592. There is no entry fee.

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Class-A Warehouses Coming to GEOTRAC Industrial Hub

Brownsville’s first Class-A warehouse park is in the works after OmniTRAX, Inc. landed an agreement with Majestic Realty Co. to develop the project on a 200-acre parcel within the GEOTRAC Industrial Hub at the Port of Brownsville.

The development of up to 2.8-million square feet during 15 years is expected to attract diverse companies, particularly wholesale distributors, to the region, driving job creation and helping to grow the economy in the Rio Grande Valley.

“The area around Brownsville is going through a commercial resurgence due to its proximity to Mexico, access to the Gulf and first class infrastructure,” said Tony Manos, senior vice president of Industrial Development for OmniTRAX. “OmniTRAX and Majestic Realty, with the support of the Port of Brownsville, are set to provide companies with the capabilities needed to successfully service their clients in south Tex

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New Officers Join Port Police Department

The Port of Brownsville added two new officers to its police force during the Brownsville Navigation District Commissioners regular board meeting held January 18, 2017.

Port of Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia administered the oath of office to officers Alejandro Saucedo and Jorge Moreno.

Saucedo, 23, from Brownsville, received his peace officer certification after graduating from the Texas Southmost College Justice Institute in 2015. He previously worked as jailer with Cameron County.

Moreno, 27, also from Brownsville, served in the U.S. Army Reserves, having received an Army Commendation Medal and a National Defense Service Medal. Moreno worked as a dispatcher for the Harbor Master Office and resigned in 2016 from his position to join the police academy. He received his peace officer certification after graduating from the Texas Southmost College Justice Institute in Jan

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BND Commission Dedicates Road Honoring Bill Reed

The Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners passed a resolution December 21, 2016, naming the SH 550 extension “Bill Reed Road,” in honor of William “Bill” Reed for the contributions he made to the Port of Brownsville as a BND board member.

Reed was elected to the BND Board of Commissioners in 1978 and served until 1996. He was board chairman from 1986 to 1990. Bill Reed was the father of John Reed, former chairman and current vice-chairman of the BND.

Follow us on Facebook and view photo album of the event

 

B

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Vulcan Materials Mexico Operation Support RGV Infrastructure Projects

 

Since 1987, Vulcan Materials has shipped crushed limestone throughout the Gulf from its 5,900-acre mine in Calica, Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Unique to Vulcan’s operation is a proprietary harbor constructed adjacent to its mine, just south of Playa del Carmen. The harbor is connected to the mine by a five kilometer-long high speed 60-inch-wide conveyor system, moving up to 12 million tons annually of various grades of limestone, fines and related products to waiting ships. Vulcan operates three of its own Panama-max sized vessels to transport products to eager markets, in a completely vertically integrated operation.

At the Port of Brownsville, Vulcan imports about 700,000 short tons of crushed limestone annually, consumed by regional construction industries, where it is used for road and general construction industries, where it is used for road and general constr

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Temporary Relocation of Port Administration Office

The Port of Brownsville administration office has moved to its temporary location at Keppel AmFELS, 20000 SH 48, Brownsville.

The administration complex at 1000 Foust Road will undergo a complete renovation and expansion expected to take about 18 months. The project includes rehabilitation of the current building, construction of a new pod featuring a new boardroom, a new parking area, and construction of a new permit office in an adjacent building.

Hours of operation at the new location will remain Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. All visitors to the temporary port office are required to show proper government-issued photo identification (i.e. driver license, passport, etc.) at the Keppel AmFELS security gate.

For the duration of the renovation, the port mailing address will be 2993 N. Indiana Avenue, Suite B, Brownsville, Texas 78526.

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Overweight Permit Office Moved to Foust Road Gate

Due to renovation work being performed on the Port of Brownsville administration building the overweight permit office has temporary moved to the Foust Road entrance guard house.

Hours of operation at the new location is Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon, and from 1 to 4 p.m.

Additionally, the inner outbound lane of the Foust Road gate is closed to traffic, allowing pedestrian traffic safe access to purchase permits.

Parking for truck drivers acquiring permits continues at Fishprint Road, across the street from the current port administration building.

To avoid delays, drivers are urged to obtain permits online at https://texas.promiles.com/brownsville/ or use the SH 550 port entrance to activate the permits.

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President Obama Gives Green Light to Brownsville Ship Channel Deepening Project

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — President Barack Obama today signed into law the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, authorizing the Brownsville Ship Channel deepening project, making it eligible for federal funding.

The Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project was one of 28 water infrastructure projects nationwide included in the WRDA and submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to Congress for approval. The project calls for the Port of Brownsville channel to be deepened to 52 feet from its current design depth of 42 feet. When complete, the Port of Brownsville will become one of the deepest ports in the Gulf of Mexico.

“This is the announcement that we were anxiously waiting for and would not have been made possible without the support from our legislative delegation in Washington, D.C., Senator John Cornyn, Senator Ted Cruz, and Congressman Filemon

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West Plains, LLC Announces Grand Re-Opening Celebration for Port of Brownsville Grain Elevator

The Port of Brownsville’s grain elevator is nearing completion of its modernization and will re-start operations in support of South Texas grain farmers soon after following its grand re-opening event at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, December 15, 2016.

The renovation and modernization of the facility began in May 2016 undertaken by West Plains LLC, a grain elevator company part of the diversified BioUrja Group of companies.

The 50-year-old grain elevator has handled millions of tons of grain passing through the port in the past, and upon completion of its modernization it will be equipped for efficient and high-speed handling of grain through all modes of transportation – truck, rail and vessel loading and unloading. The renovated facility will provide storage for nearly 3 million bushels of grain, and in addition to the indirect economic impact on the region, it will add eight full-tim

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