Vol. 4, No. 3, August 2019
The Port of Brownsville ranks among the leading U.S. steel ports, moving more steel into Mexico than any other domestic competitor.
Mexico Makes Sense
Editors Note: This article is featured in the new edition of the Port of Brownsville Directory. Click on the link below to receive a free copy.
The Port of Brownsville’s proximity to Mexico, Latin America’s second largest economy, uniquely positions the port as the nation’s key transshipment gateway delivering goods and commodities to nearby multinational manufacturing centers on both sides of the border.

Ranking among the top U.S. steel ports, the Port of Brownsville moves more steel into Mexico than any other domestic competitor. In 2018, the port moved 3.2 million short tons of steel across the southern border.

Nearby Monterrey is a major industrial center in northern Mexico with a metropolitan population of nearly 5 million and home to dozens of commonly recognized international corporations. Monterrey is located 200 miles due west from the Port of Brownsville, where steel makers have come to rely upon the logistical efficiencies provided by the port. Convenient border crossings are located just seven miles from the port by truck and 13 miles by railroad.
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The Signet Maritime fleet at the Port of Brownsville includes three tugboats, the Signet Defender, Signet Ranger and the Signet Magic.  
Twenty One Years Prioritizing Safety
In June Signet Maritime celebrated 21 years of tugboat operations at the Port of Brownsville.

The company’s full-service navigation center at the Brownsville ship channel provides ship, barge and rig movements as well as harbor tugboat operations since 1998. The Brownsville fleet includes three tugboats, the Signet Defender, Signet Ranger and the Signet Magic. These high-powered tugs assist ships and barges, often more than ten times their size, navigate through the 17-mile long ship channel.

The port’s intermodal expansion and continued growth have led to a higher demand for Signet’s services. 

"As the years go by, we are starting to have bigger ships and bigger barges, oil rigs and new demand for more power," said Ida Treviño, Signet Maritime Operations Manager. Treviño has worked with the company since its inception at the Port of Brownsville. 
Keppel AmFELS is Building Ships
Keppel AmFELS is building ships at the Port of Brownsville, introducing a new industry to the state of Texas.

To facilitate the construction of deep-draft vessels at Keppel’s shipyard, the port partnered with the company to build a Public Vessel Assembly and Erection Pad. The project was completed July 31.

The assembly pad, measuring 292 ft. long and 1,102 ft. wide, is used to assemble Jones Act vessels to transport cargo along the U.S. coast from one domestic port to another. The Jones Act is a federal law regulating maritime commerce in the U.S. The law requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned and operated only by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
The bulk cargo dock renovation is part of an agreement the port entered with West Plains to restore and operate the grain elevator.
Grain Overseas
The Port of Brownsville will resume exporting grains by vessel with the rehabilitation of the bulk cargo dock scheduled for completion in August.

The renovation project is part of an agreement the port entered with West Plains LLC 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 multiple millions of dollars in its facility, while the port has pitched another $5.5 million to the project .  

The bulk cargo dock will work in tandem with the renovated grain elevator to give South Texas and Mexican grain producers access to international markets. Once complete, the modern facilities will be equipped with efficient and high-speed handling of grain through all modes of transportation – truck, rail and vessel loading and unloading.
BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS

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Commissioner

Commissioner
PORT OF BROWNSVILLE ADMINISTRATION

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Ph:  956.831.4592 / 800.378.5395
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CALENDAR
August 7
BND Board Meeting

August 21
BND Board Meeting

August 26
Women's Equality Day

September 2
Labor Day - Port offices closed
Father Mark Watters and Andrea Hance, Chairman of the Texas Shrimp Association, begin the blessing of the fleet.
Gratitude and Blessings
Members of the community gathered July 9 at the annual Blessing of the Fleet at the Brownsville Shrimp Basin located at the Port of Brownsville.

The annual event is hosted by the Texas Shrimp Association
Members of the community joined in prayer on behalf of the local fishing community.
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