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GFOA Recognizes Port of Brownsville for Excellence in Financial Reporting

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — For the eighth consecutive year, the Brownsville Navigation District Finance Department earned the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its 2019 comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

“This recognition is a testament to the Brownsville Navigation District’s commitment to best financial practices as the port’s tax base continues to grow”, said John Reed, BND chairman. “I congratulate and thank our BND Commission and port staff for this award and look forward to preserving this legacy of excellence for the

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Heavy Lifters Hit the Port

Two new mobile harbor cranes arrived Thursday, January 16, 2020 at the Port of Brownsville.

The cranes were purchased to increase the port’s on-dock lifting capacity due to higher demands of cargo volumes.

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Q&A with Eduardo Campirano on Mexico’s Natural Gas Market Development

Editor’s Note: NGI’s Mexico Gas Price Index, a leader tracking Mexico natural gas market reform, is offering the following question-and-answer (Q&A) column as part of a regular interview series with experts in the Mexican natural gas market.

This 22nd Q&A in the series is with Eduardo A. Campirano, Port Director and CEO of the Port of Brownsville, the only deepwater port on the U.S.-Mexico border. Since his appointment in 2007, the Port of Brownsville has improved its financial position by increasing its cash reserves, issued debt for infrastructure improvements, undertaken major road and infrastructure improvements and repairs, and has attracted port-related investments through public and private sector partnerships.

Campirano’s public service extends to his active participation in numerous civic and maritime industry organizations and

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New Mobile Harbor Cranes Arrive at Port of Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (January 20, 2020) – Two new mobile harbor cranes arrived Thursday, January 16, at the Port of Brownsville.

The cranes arrived at the port on board the 393-foot long specialized cargo carrier M/V BBC ASIA.

The Brownsville Navigation District ordered the Konecranes Gottwald Model 6 mobile harbor cranes in June 2019 to increase the port’s on-dock lifting capacity due to higher demands of cargo volumes.

“These cranes are one of the latest investments by the Port of Brownsville to meet the needs of our port tenants and growing list of clients,” said Brownsville Navigation District Chairman John Reed. “The BND is committed to

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Capital Improvement Projects

The Port of Brownsville is making significant investments to enhance operations and attract new businesses to the region. Take a look at how we are continuing to transform the economic landscape of the Rio Grande Valley.

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Port of Brownsville Foreign Trade Zone ranks in Top 3 in the U.S. for Exports

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—Wednesday, December 11, 2019— Foreign Trade Zone No. 62 (FTZ) at the Port of Brownsville remains near the top in the nation for the value of exports, according to the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board’s annual report to Congress released in late November.

FTZ No. 62 ranks third in the country with more than $3.8 billion in exported goods in 2018, an increase from the $3.5 billion reported in 2017. Since 2012, the port’s FTZ has consistently ranked in the top three for exports out of 293 FTZs nationwide. Additionally, FTZ No. 62 ranks number 21 in the nation for the value of imports totaling $3.9 billion, up from $3.6 billion in goods reported in 2017.

“Our consistent ranking among the top foreign trade zones in the country is the result of the Brownsville Navigation District’s commitment to enhance the port’s infrastructure to fa

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Port of Brownsville Recognizes Welding Works International with Annual Chairman’s Award

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—Tuesday, December 3, 2019— Welding Works International, Inc. has been named the Port of Brownsville 2019 Chairman’s Award honoree in recognition of the company’s 20-plus years of setting a high standard in safety training and providing ongoing contributions to the well-being of the Rio Grande Valley community.

Brownsville Navigation District Chairman John Reed presented the award to Welding Works President Alfredo de la Fuente at the Customer Appreciation Luncheon event held on December 3. The event was attended by more than 200 guests, including port tenants, business leaders and local, regional and state public officials.

“Welding Works International is a homegrown success story that is well-known for supporting a range of services to South Texas,” said Reed. “With large scale-industrial projects expected to kick-off at the port,

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NEWS RELEASE: Three New LNG Projects Moving Forward at the Port of Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—Thursday, November 21, 2019— The Port of Brownsville is one step closer to welcoming three new LNG projects with an investment totaling $38.75 billion after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved their proposals today during its monthly commission meeting.

“Today’s announcement is another significant milestone in making these energy projects a reality and is the result of years of hard work by the applicants,” said John Reed, Chairman of the Brownsville Navigation District. “We’d like to thank FERC for its effort and diligence in reviewing these proposals and thank our community for their support. These new energy projects reflect our long-term strategy and vision for the port to be a catalyst for economic growth in the Rio Grande Valley by encouraging domestic and international business investments and driving develo

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Special Feature: Deep Thinking

Editor’s Note: This article is featured in the latest edition of the Port of Brownsville Directory

Arguably, the most valuable asset of any port is the depth of its channel.

The depth of a port’s channel can be compared to the length of an airport’s runway. The longer the runway, the bigger the planes. The deeper the channel, the bigger the ships.

For example, with just one more inch of draft – or depth – a ship can carry 770,000 additional bushels of wheat valued at more than $60,000.

The Port of Brownsville plans to deepen its channel from 42 feet to 52 feet – 10 feet deeper! With that much additional draft, the cost savings for shipping goods across the Earth’s oceans reach an economy of scale far greater that those of the one-inch example. Which also means, more jobs to handle more cargo at the Port of Brownsville.

The port’s cu

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Special Feature: Building the Future From the Past at the Port of Brownsville

The Port of Brownsville knows shipbuilding and ship recycling, a combination of disciplines found nowhere else in the Lone Star State.

With shipbuilding DNA in its heritage, Keppel AmFELS is making waves at the Port of Brownsville. In late-April 2019, dignitaries participated in the ceremonial keel-laying of the M/V George III and the cutting of the first steel plate for the M/V Janet Marie. Delivery for both 774-foot-long vessels is set for 2020.

Keppel, traditionally the port’s largest employer and the foremost U.S. offshore rig builder, recently won construction contracts for the two container ships for Honolulu-based Pasha Hawaii, with options for two more. The contracts, valued at $400 million by Keppel, mean 700 new well-paying jobs at the port in 2019 and a new industry for Texas. The twin U.S. Jones Act vessels carry up to 2,525 TEUs and utilize Keppel’s proprietary LNG

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Port of Brownsville Recognizes Truck Drivers

The Port of Brownsville along with the entire trucking industry is honoring the millions of professional truck drivers who work to deliver America’s freight safely and securely every day.

During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 9-13), the Port of Brownsville will offer free breakfast and lunch to truck drivers doing business with the port. The port also partnered with the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority to distribute 500 giveaway bags to truck drivers at the Foust and SH 550 entrances.

On a daily basis the Port of Brownsville welcomes 800 to 1,000 trucks that enter the port to pick up cargo and deliver it across the nation. The types of commodities they carry- petroleum based products, sugar, salt, windmill components and steal- serve as the backbone of several industries in the U.S.

There are more than 3.5 million professional truck drivers nationwid

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Two New Mobile Cranes Coming to Brownsville

In June of this year, the Port of Brownsville ordered two new mobile harbor cranes increasing its dockside handling capacity as the seaport experiences higher cargo volumes across its range of services.

The two new Konecranes Gottwald Model 6 mobile harbor cranes will be delivered to the port fully assembled and commissioned, ready to begin work as early as December 2019. The cranes will handle a wide variety of cargo including breakbulk, bulk products, heavy project cargo and steel products.

The Model 6 cranes have advanced mobile harbor crane drive technology from Konecranes that meets EPA Tier 4f emission standards, helping the Port of Brownsville reduce its environmental footprint.

“The Port of Brownsville continues to invest significantly in its continued growth, including expansion of our on-dock lifting capacity,” said Eduardo A. Campirano, Port Director and CEO of th

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$3 Billion and 51,000 Jobs is Only the Beginning at the Port of Brownsville

By John Reed

Chairman Brownsville Navigation District

The latest economic impact report shows that the Port of Brownsville generated $3 billion in annual economic activity that produced $201 million in tax revenues and supported more than 51,000 jobs across Texas. And we’re just getting started.

As the only deep-water port on the US-Mexico border, the Port of Brownsville is a unique resource in the complex world of logistics. We are strategically located close to major manufacturing centers, energy sources and agriculture markets in both the United States and Mexico. We have convenient rail and interstate highway access into both countries, connecting shippers and producers with markets around the world. We support more than 230 companies currently operating at the port, providing a reliable base for local jobs, taxes and economic activity for the entire regi

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Special Feature: Enabling Economic Evolution

After years of courtship, community input, planning and permitting, largescale industrial development is about to transform the Rio Grande Valley’s economic landscape with billions of dollars of investment and thousands of new jobs at the Port of Brownsville.

Three liquified natural gas projects, representing a combined projected investment of $38.75 billion[1] are in the homestretch of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission permitting, with final investment decisions expected by late 2019 and 2020. Not to be outdone, Arkansas-based Big River Steel is refining its strategy to locate a $1.6 billion electric arc steel mill at the port. These successes are attracting additional industrial development to the port and Brownsville, supported by a youthful, educated, abundant and motivated workforce. No other domestic maritime complex rivals the Port of B

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Port of Brownsville Update on KURV’s Radio Show

Port Director and CEO Eduardo A. Campirano was recently a guest on KURV’s radio show “The Valley’s Morning News”.

Campirano spoke about the Port of Brownsville’s economic impact in the Rio Grande Valley as reported by an independent analysis conducted by Martin Associates.  The report shows that the Port of Brownsville serves as a major economic driver in the development of jobs and revenue in the Rio Grande Valley.

“The port does have a very significant impact not only in the region, but also contributes greatly overall to the maritime industry in the state of Texas.” said Campirano.

Listen to the interview HERE

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