Vol. 10, No. 7 December 2025 | | Port Primed to Boost Shipbuilding in U.S. | | As Texas’ leading shipbuilding port, the Port of Brownsville supports American jobs and the Jones Act fleet, powered by a dedicated and highly skilled workforce that continues to strengthen the nation’s shipbuilding industry. | | Editor's Note: This article was originally featured at www.forbes.com | | |
As national concerns grow over the decline of U.S. shipbuilding capacity, the Port of Brownsville continues to stand out as a vital hub for the industry.
Civilian and military experts have long warned that America’s shipbuilding output lags behind that of global competitors, particularly China. The announcement by Secretary of the Navy John Phelan canceling the Constellation-class frigate program intensified those concerns, underscoring the importance of shipbuilding centers like the Port of Brownsville that help sustain critical maritime capabilities.
"After decades of apathy and neglect, there are no easy nor cheap solutions to getting the Navy on course and in time to deter let alone persevere in a war with China," Captain Brent Sadler (U.S. Navy, Retired), senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told me via instant messaging. "Canceling the frigate program is far from adequate as it does not address the need for more shipbuilding capacity, more firepower in the western Pacific by 2027, and a needed frigate class ship to round out a perilously unbalanced fleet."
The Port of Brownsville offers opportunity and solutions to these challenges. In addition to residing in a widely recognized business- and development-friendly state, the publicly owned port—despite dating back to 1937 as a WPA Depression-recovery project—is essentially a greenfield for developing what Sadler laid out.
"There's tremendous value in a port like the Port of Brownsville,” said Port of Brownsville Port Director and CEO William Dietrich. “We’ve got a 17- mile-long channel with a lot of green space for a company to come in and, for example, we're talking about shipbuilding. It's perfect.”
| | Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Esteban Guerra, left, presents the 2025 Chairman’s Award to Mark Clive, owner of M&M Mooring, during the annual Customer Appreciation Luncheon on Dec. 4 at the Rancho Viejo Convention Center in Rancho Viejo, Texas. | M&M Mooring Recognized with 2025 Chairman’s Award | |
The Port of Brownsville proudly announces M&M Mooring as the recipient of the prestigious 2025 Chairman’s Award. Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Esteban Guerra presented the award to owner Mark Clive at the annual Customer Appreciation Luncheon held Dec. 4, at the Rancho Viejo Conference Center in Rancho Viejo, Texas.
"M&M Mooring has been a trusted partner of the Port of Brownsville for nearly three decades, providing essential maritime services with professionalism, reliability, and an unwavering commitment to safety," said Guerra. "While transformative investments are reshaping our region, the dedication of smaller, homegrown businesses that keep this port moving has strengthened our maritime community. It is essential that we continue to support these vital operations."
For more than 27 years, M&M Mooring has been a cornerstone of port operations, delivering expert line-handling and steamship agency services under the stewardship of owner Mark Clive. What began as a one-man operation has grown into a multi-generational, family-driven company that plays a critical role in ensuring safe and efficient vessel movements at the port.
| New Horizons Beckon In Brownsville | Editor's Note: This article was originally featured at www.siteselection.com | |
Close your eyes and picture 40,000 acres.
Now open them and answer this question: How far away was the horizon?
In Brownsville, Texas, it’s as far as your global vision can take you.
Connected to the Gulf of Mexico by a 17-mile ship channel, the Port of Brownsville is the largest land-owning public port authority in the nation and the only deepwater port on the U.S.-Mexico border. Its 40,000 acres measure out to just over 62 square miles, or a parcel the size of the thriving Dallas suburb of Frisco.
As it happens, 62 is also the official number of the Port’s thriving Foreign-Trade Zone, which routinely ranks among the top three of 193 in the nation in terms of value of exported cargo ($7 billion in 2023) and recently ranked No. 13 overall for the value of imports ($3.2 billion). FTZ No. 62 offers sites at the port and throughout Cameron County including the Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport, Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Harlingen Industrial Park and Airpark, NAFTA Industrial Park in Brownsville, and FINSA Industrial Park at Los Indios.
| Chairman Esteban Guerra and Port Director and CEO William Dietrich joined staff for the 73rd Annual Christmas Parade on Dec. 6, in historic downtown Brownsville. | From left are Vice Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez, Secretary of the Board John Reed, Chairman Esteban Guerra, Dr. Virginia Wood, Commissioner John Wood, Port Director and CEO William Dietrich, and Commissioner Ernesto Gutierrez at the Port of Brownsville Administration Office Dec. 3. | Festive Celebrations Ring in Holiday Season | |
The Port of Brownsville welcomed the holiday season with a pair of festive celebrations. The Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners kicked things off with the annual Christmas Tree Lighting at the Port Administrative Office on Dec. 3.
Just days later, the port was well represented at the 73rd Annual Christmas Parade on Dec. 6, where Chairman Esteban Guerra and Port Director and CEO William Dietrich joined staff in historic downtown Brownsville to share in the community spirit.
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BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS
Esteban Guerra
Chairman
Sergio Tito Lopez
Vice Chairman
John Reed
Secretary
John Wood
Commissioner
Ernesto Gutierrez
Commissioner
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PORT OF BROWNSVILLE ADMINISTRATION
William Dietrich
Port Director & CEO
Port Administration
Contact Us:
Ph: 956.831.4592 / 800.378.5395
Fax: 956.831.5006
www.portofbrownsville.com
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December 17
BND Board Meeting
December 24
Christmas Eve - Port offices closed
December 25
Christmas Day- Port offices closed
January 1
New Year’s Day - Port offices closed Jan 1-Jan. 2
January 6
Epiphany Day
January 7
BND Board Meeting
| Texas LNG Signs Binding Offtake Agreement With Macquarie | Editor's Note: This article was originally featured at www.businesswire.com | |
Glenfarne Group’s Texas LNG project has signed a definitive 20-year Sales and Purchase Agreement with Macquarie Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Macquarie Group Limited, a global trading and financial services group, for 0.5 MTPA of LNG. The agreement converts a previous non-binding Heads of Agreement between the two companies into a binding definitive agreement.
"Our offtake agreement with Macquarie reinforces Texas LNG’s position as one of the most competitive LNG export projects in the world," said Brendan Duval, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Glenfarne Group. "Macquarie is a world-class partner, and their participation in our offtake portfolio demonstrates strong confidence in Glenfarne’s ability to deliver a reliable, low-emissions source of U.S. LNG to global markets."
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