Vol. 11, No. 5 November 2026 | |
Port of Brownsville Celebrates 90 Years with a Grand Community Celebration | |
The Port of Brownsville comemorated 90 years of service to the Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, Oct. 17, with its 90th Anniversary Grand Community Celebration at the Port of Brownsville Business Park.
Thousands of community members turned out for the free event, which featured bus tours of the port, a Kids Port activity area, live music and entertainment, and plenty of food for the whole family. Attendees also explored equipment exhibits and educational displays from harbor partners across the region.
Held every five years, the celebration commemorates the port’s opening on May 16, 1936. From its early days moving agricultural products to markets around the world, the port has grown into the only deepwater seaport directly on the U.S.-Mexico border, supporting industries including shipbuilding, ship recycling, steel, energy, construction and space.
The port last hosted the celebration in 2021 for its 85th anniversary, which drew about 4,000 attendees.
| | KRGV Meteorologist Tim Smith moderated a maritime industry fireside chat with BND Secretary John Reed, Capt. Chris Urbanovsky of Brazos Santiago Pilots, and Rio Grande LNG’s Mike Winans at the Port of Brownsville’s 90th Anniversary Reception Dinner on Oct. 13, in Rancho Viejo, TX. | Port Hosts 90th Anniversary Reception | |
The Port of Brownsville marked its 90th anniversary on Oct. 13 with a reception dinner at the Rancho Viejo Conference Room in Rancho Viejo, Texas. The evening was sponsored by SA Recycling. It brought together port leaders, partners and community members to reflect on nine decades of growth.
The program opened with a welcome, followed by remarks from Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez. It continued with a fireside chat moderated by KRGV meteorologist Tim Smith. Port commissioners, maritime and industry leaders, and guests joined in a conversation about the port’s history, its role in the region’s economy and its future. BND Secretary John Reed, Captain Chris Urbanovsky of the Brazos Santiago Pilots and Mike Winans, Director of Marine Operations at Rio Grande LNG took part. They spoke on navigation and safety, the channel deepening project and the port’s continued growth. The conversation closed with a look ahead to the port’s 100th anniversary.
| Saronic breaks ground on its next-generation shipyard, Port Alpha, in Brownsville, TX. Pictured from left to right: Sergio Tito Lopez, Brownsville Navigation District Chairman; Doug Lambert, Co-Founder & COO; Rob Lehman, Co-Founder & CCO; Texas Governor Greg Abbott; U.S. Vice President JD Vance; Dino Mavrookas, Co-Founder & CEO; Vib Altekar, Co-Founder & CTO; and John Morgan, SVP of Operations. | Saronic Breaks Ground on Port Alpha | |
Saronic held a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 30 at the Port of Brownsville for Port Alpha, a next-generation American shipyard built to restore the nation’s maritime industrial capacity.
Situated on 835 acres at the port, with the option to expand to nearly 4,400 acres, Port Alpha represents a private capital investment of more than $3 billion. The shipyard, which will be capable of building both autonomous and crewed ships, is expected to generate up to 10,000 direct jobs and an estimated $264.5 billion in economic impact for Texas, making it one of the largest economic development projects in modern Texas history.
| Rio Grande LNG Reports Train 1 Milestones Ahead of Schedule | |
NextDecade Corporation announced Oct. 29, that Phase 1 construction at the Rio Grande LNG facility along the Brownsville Ship Channel continues to progress safely, on budget, and ahead of schedule.
"We expect first LNG production from Train 1 in the second quarter of 2027, and substantial completion of Train 1 in the third quarter of 2027, which is a quarter ahead of the guaranteed completion schedule under our EPC contract with Bechtel," said Matt Schatzman, NextDecade Chairman and CEO. "The projected timing of these milestones reflects the strong dedication and execution of Bechtel, our employees, and contractors as we continue our transition toward operations."
As of September, Trains 1 and 2 were nearly 80% complete overall. NextDecade also reported that dredging of the berths, turning basin, and channel deepening has been completed, and first gas into the facility is still expected before the end of 2026.
| Chairman Lopez Visits Karpower Valley Shipyard | |
Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez recently visited the Karpower Valley's shipyard at the Port of Brownsville, touring the facility and learning more about the company's operations and future plans.
Karpower Valley is transforming the former Seatrium AmFELS shipyard into an integrated industrial hub focused on shipbuilding and energy infrastructure. Its capabilities will support the construction and conversion of vessels, floating power plants, and specialized equipment serving the growing energy sector.
The company's presence builds on the port's rich shipbuilding history while bringing new opportunities in advanced manufacturing, skilled jobs and industrial growth to the Rio Grande Valley.
| BND Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez and Commissioner David A. Garcia present a $1,000 donation from the Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners to the West Brownsville Lions Club on Friday, Oct. 16. | BND Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez and Commissioner David A. Garcia present a $500 donation from the Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners to Warriors United in Arms at the Port of Brownsville Administrative Office on Oct. 13. | | |
BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS
Sergio Tito Lopez
Chairman
Ernesto Gutierrez
Vice Chairman
John Reed
Secretary
David Garcia
Commissioner
Luis H. Villarreal, Jr.
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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November 4
BND Board Meeting
November 11- Port Offices closed
Veterans Day
November 18
BND Board Meeting
November 26
Thanksgiving Day – Port Offices closed Nov. 26-27
December 2
BND Board Meeting
December 16
BND Board Meeting
December 24
Christmas Eve - Port offices closed Dec. 24-25
December 25
Christmas Day
| Brownsville Independent School District’s Career and Technical Education Department and campus leaders view a presentation at the BND Boardroom before taking a tour of the port on Oct. 20. | Students from Harmony Public Schools visit the port on Oct. 20, for a presentation and tour. | Educational Partners Tour Port | |
The Port of Brownsville is working with education partners across the region to connect students and school leaders with the career opportunities at the port.
Students from Harmony Public Schools visited the port Oct. 20 and 21 for a presentation and tour. They learned about the new companies and diverse industries serving the Rio Grande Valley and the jobs those businesses are creating close to home.
On Oct. 20, the port also hosted the Brownsville Independent School District’s Career and Technical Education Department and campus leaders for an educational tour at the port’s administrative office. The visit highlighted the emerging industries and economic development shaping the region and how local career and technical education programs and workforce training can align with the jobs those industries will bring.
| Texas LNG seeks extension for Port of Brownsville Terminal | |
Texas LNG developers are seeking federal approval to extend the export start date by five years to 2032, citing years of sustained litigation challenging their permitting approvals.
In a request sent to the US Department of Energy in September, Texas LNG Brownsville LLC, owned and managed by Glenfarne Energy Transition, stated that despite the company’s best efforts, "development of the project was unavoidably delayed due to such substantial litigation. The operative harm to the Texas LNG project was the multi-year uncertainty created by the pendency of unresolved judicial challenges to the authorizations on which the Project depends."
The project, to be located on 625 acres (253 ha) on the Port of Brownsville’s north shore, will process LNG originating from the Permian basin and Eagle Ford gas reserves in Texas and New Mexico. It calls for an LNG carrier berthing dock capable of receiving LNG carriers with a capacity between approximately 130,000 and 180,000 cubic meters. The operation is expected to increase vessel traffic at the port by 74 LNG carriers per year.
| SPI Beach Renourishment to Begin | The City of South Padre Island is working in partnership with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Texas General Land Office, and Cameron County to renourish the beaches on South Padre Island. The USACE has awarded a contract to Manson Construction, who will perform the regular maintenance dredging of the Brazos Santiago Pass Jetty and entrance channel. |
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