BROWNSVILLE, Texas – March 4, 2022 — The Port of Brownsville held a ribbon cutting ceremony today for the Rio Grande Valley’s latest commerce route, the 1.9 mile-long South Port Connector Road. The new road will officially open for business Monday, March 7, at 6 a.m.
The road project is a collaborative effort between the Brownsville Navigation District (BND), Cameron County, the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA), the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (RGVMPO), and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to improve port access and ease urban traffic in the Brownsville area.
BND Board Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez commemorated the event by driving a truck through a ceremonial ribbon, officially opening the road for domestic and international trade.
“The Port of Brownsville is committed to investing in infras
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Editor’s Note: This article is featured in the latest edition of the Port of Brownsville Directory. Click HERE to view directory or to request a copy.
Steel is a large and significant mainstay in Brownsville, where the port is the major gateway for steel into Mexico, moving more than three million short tons of steel commodities per year.
The Port of Brownsville
Read MorePort of Brownsville Update on KURV’s Radio Show
On Tuesday, January 25, Port Director and CEO Eduardo A. Campirano was a featured guest on KURV’s radio show “The Valley’s Morning News” with Sergio Sanchez and Tim Sullivan. Campirano highlighted several multi-billion dollar projects currently in the works and provided a 2022 forecast for the port.
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2021 Port of Brownsville Year in Review
While the aftereffects of 2020 continue to reverberate across industries worldwide, the Port of Brownsville overcame significant challenges to develop sustainable infrastructure and job creation for local families and businesses. As we look back at the quarterly highlights of 2021, we celebrate the successes and look forward to the promise of 2022.
First Quarter
- In its annual State of the Port, the port reported record-breaking statistics with the movement of 11.6 million short tons of diverse cargo with operating revenues of $37 million for FY 2020.
- International Shipbreaking, part of the world-leading recycler EMR Metal Recycling, gained EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SSR) accreditation – the first in the United States – for its site at the Port of Brownsville after investing $30 million in compliant infrastructur
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Port of Brownsville Recognizes Schaefer Stevedoring with 2021 Chairman’s Award
Headquartered at the port, Schaefer Stevedoring is an international stevedoring company providing shipping services within the maritime and port logistics industries of the United States and Mexico. The family-owned company currently employs 85 staff members at its Brownsville headquarters.
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TXDoT Gives Port Top Marks in Risk Assessment
85th Anniversary Community Celebration
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85th Anniversary Community Celebration
The Port of Brownsville has proudly served the Rio Grande Valley region for nearly a century.
On Saturday, Oct. 23, the port invites the community to its 85th Anniversary Community Celebration. This free community event commemorates the port’s opening in 1936 and its continued growth and economic importance throughout the Rio Grande Valley. By seeing the port firsthand, you’ll know why it is known as the Port that works.
The 85th Anniversary Community Celebration will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Port of Brownsville. This event will be a fun-filled day for children and adults of all ages to enjoy:
- Live music
- Animal exhibits
- Free food
- Port boat tours*
- Port bus tours*
- Children’s play area
- Prizes
- Much More
*For
Read MorePort Pilots Set the Course for Safety
On any given day, vessels loaded with cargo appear to effortlessly glide over the deep Gulf Coast waters on their way to the only deepwater seaport on the U.S.- Mexico border led by one of the four Brazos Santiago Pilots Association (BSPA) harbor pilots. Captains Gene R. Tuttle, Chris Urbanovsky, Jonathan P. Willett and Grant S. Wilson are tasked with safeguarding the waterways of the Brownsville Navigation District and Port Isabel-San Benito Navigation District while guiding vessels in and out of the 17-mile long Brownsville Ship Channel with unmatched knowledge and expertise.
Since its grand opening in 1936, vessels from around the world have called upon the Port of Brownsville to deliver essential goods supporting a wide range of industries throughout North America. Eighty five years later the port continues to be the leading economic driver of the Rio Grande Valley. In 2
Read MoreEconomic Development Key to Port’s Success
New Committee to Explore Economic Development Opportunities
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – October 1, 2021 – Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez named Secretary Esteban Guerra as chairman of a newly created committee focused on enhancing economic development opportunities at the Port of Brownsville. The committee will also include Commissioner John Reed as vice chair.
“As highlighted by U.S. Senator John Cornyn’s recent visit to our port, we are the economic engine of the Rio Grande Valley,” Chairman Lopez stated. “I have created this committee to identify those opportunities so that we as a commission may act on them.”
Senator Cornyn visited the Port of Brownsville on Sept. 16 to participate in an economic development roundtable discussion with Rio Grande Valley public officials and members of the business community. The event was organized
Read MoreAdvanced Manufacturing Training Coming to the Rio Grande Valley
On Sept. 23, the Texas A&M University System and two of its state engineering agencies – the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) –announced a new initiative to invigorate an important Rio Grande Valley industry sector, advanced manufacturing, with workforce development programs that will prepare people for high-need jobs.
The Texas A&M RGV Advanced Manufacturing/Training Innovation Now (TRAIN) program gathers community input, creates collaborations and develops training courses that meet the needs of current and future employers at the Port of Brownsville. In two years, TRAIN will award 10,000 certificates through on line and on-site classes.
TEES and TEEX, two state agencies renowned for their workforce training and professional development, will offer these courses in English and Spanish. There i
Read MoreSave the Date Dock Dash October 16, 2021
Honoring our Highway Heroes: Celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week
By Sergio Tito Lopez, Chairman of the Brownsville Navigation District
In honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 12-18), the Port of Brownsville, along with the entire trucking industry in the United States, is thanking the millions of professional truck drivers who work every day to deliver America’s freight safely and securely to provide for our communities.
Nearly every part of our lives is impacted by the work of these highway heroes. The trucking industry is the backbone of our economy, and our professional drivers are the industry’s heart. Visit any grocery store, business, or medical facility throughout the Rio Grande Valley, or any other part of the country, and that becomes immediately obvious. Without them, our workplace, home, dinner table, and everything else in our life would look very different.
America’s professional truck drivers ar
Read MorePort of Brownsville Announces New Deputy Port Directors
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — September 3, 2021 – The Port of Brownsville announces the appointment of two new deputy port directors effective August 9, 2021.
Melinda Rodriguez is the deputy port director of administration and will oversee the port’s Human Resources, Real Estate Services, Finance, Communications and Administrative Services departments.
Rodriguez has worked in a variety of leadership positions with organizations such as NextDecade, Texas Southmost College, Catholic Charities of Central Texas, United Way of Hidalgo County, March of Dimes, Cystic Fibrosis-Central Texas, and United Blood Services. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Texas, Pan American (now UTRGV), a Master of Arts in Human Services from St. Edward’s University, and she is currently working on a doctorate degree. Her career spans 33 years in administratio
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Editor’s Note: This article is featured in the latest edition of the Port of Brownsville Directory
The Port of Brownsville began 85 years ago as a major agriculture hub for the region, and 2020 saw the restart of grain exports of regionally grown sorghum destined to China, creating new international market opportunities for South Texas farming families. The port completed the rehabilitation of Bulk Cargo Dock, improving access to the 3 million-bushel grain elevator operated by WestPlains LLC. In 2020, the port received a $14.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve railroad, road and ship-loading infrastructure at the Bulk Cargo Dock and further expand WestPlains’ grain-handling operations at the facility.
To keep up with growing demand for additional cargohan
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