BROWNSVILLE, Texas — May 3, 2021 — Despite industry challenges faced in 2020, SteelCoast, LLC, a preeminent reclamation, remediation, and recycling facility at the Port of Brownsville recorded a successful year with new management at the helm focused on efficiencies, safety and excellence.
“The SteelCoast team recognized that 2020 was going to provide challenges in every aspect of our industry,” said Mark Hodgson, president of the company. “The decision was immediately made to turn adversity into opportunity and focus on the details of the business and the employees that support it.”
That strategy proved successful as more than 44,000 tons of steel and other metals were processed and shipped out to mills from the SteelCoast shipyard in 2020 and the company projects to increase production to more than 70,000 tons this year.
The company has already processed and shipped out more than 25,000 tons of steel and other metals in the last six months and will continue to add to its production after receiving a contract from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to recycle the USS Nassau (LHA-4), a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship that was decommissioned in 2011. The ship arrived at the SteelCoast yard on April 30th and is expected to take 12 months to remediate and process.
SteelCoast is part of the Port of Brownsville’s ship recycling operations, a legacy industry that captures more than 85 percent of the U.S. Navy and MARAD ship recycling business. Thanks to a steady stream of naval contracts, SteelCoast’s workforce is expected to triple this year to 240, a pronounced increment from the 77 dedicated employees the company had in the last year.
Safety First
SteelCoast’s commitment to safety garnered a 2020 Excellence in Safety Award from the American Equity Underwriters, Inc. (AEU). The AEU is the leading provider of workers’ compensation for waterfront employers and recognizes the strongest safety programs in the maritime industry.
“Safety is the first of our core values and is preached at every level of our operation,” said Hodgson. “The team’s dedication to this principal is what makes SteelCoast a safe and great place to work. I couldn’t be more proud of the team and their commitment to safety at all levels.”
The USS Nassau, an amphibious assault ship from the U.S. Navy, arrived at the Port of Brownsville on April 30, 2021. SteelCoast will carryout the remediation and recycling of the ship over the next 12 months.
