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85th Anniversary Community Celebration

The Port of Brownsville has proudly served the Rio Grande Valley region for nearly a century.

On Saturday, Oct. 23, the port invites the community to its 85th Anniversary Community Celebration. This free community event commemorates the port’s opening in 1936 and its continued growth and economic importance throughout the Rio Grande Valley. By seeing the port firsthand, you’ll know why it is known as the Port that works.

The 85th Anniversary Community Celebration will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Port of Brownsville. This event will be a fun-filled day for children and adults of all ages to enjoy:

Live music
Animal exhibits
Free food
Port boat tours*
Port bus tours*
Children’s play area
Prizes
Much More

*For

Port Pilots Set the Course for Safety

On any given day, vessels loaded with cargo appear to effortlessly glide over the deep Gulf Coast waters on their way to the only deepwater seaport on the U.S.- Mexico border led by one of the four Brazos Santiago Pilots Association (BSPA) harbor pilots. Captains Gene R. Tuttle, Chris Urbanovsky, Jonathan P. Willett and Grant S. Wilson are tasked with safeguarding the waterways of the Brownsville Navigation District and Port Isabel-San Benito Navigation District while guiding vessels in and out of the 17-mile long Brownsville Ship Channel with unmatched knowledge and expertise.

Since its grand opening in 1936, vessels from around the world have called upon the Port of Brownsville to deliver essential goods supporting a wide range of industries throughout North America. Eighty five years later the port continues to be the leading economic driver of the Rio Grande Valley. In 2

Economic Development Key to Port’s Success

New Committee to Explore Economic Development Opportunities

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – October 1, 2021 – Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez named Secretary Esteban Guerra as chairman of a newly created committee focused on enhancing economic development opportunities at the Port of Brownsville. The committee will also include Commissioner John Reed as vice chair.

“As highlighted by U.S. Senator John Cornyn’s recent visit to our port, we are the economic engine of the Rio Grande Valley,” Chairman Lopez stated. “I have created this committee to identify those opportunities so that we as a commission may act on them.”

Senator Cornyn visited the Port of Brownsville on Sept. 16 to participate in an economic development roundtable discussion with Rio Grande Valley public officials and members of the business community. The event was organized

Advanced Manufacturing Training Coming to the Rio Grande Valley

On Sept. 23, the Texas A&M University System and two of its state engineering agencies – the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) –announced a new initiative to invigorate an important Rio Grande Valley industry sector, advanced manufacturing, with workforce development programs that will prepare people for high-need jobs.

The Texas A&M RGV Advanced Manufacturing/Training Innovation Now (TRAIN) program gathers community input, creates collaborations and develops training courses that meet the needs of current and future employers at the Port of Brownsville. In two years, TRAIN will award 10,000 certificates through on line and on-site classes.

TEES and TEEX, two state agencies renowned for their workforce training and professional development, will offer these courses in English and Spanish. There i

Honoring our Highway Heroes: Celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

By Sergio Tito Lopez, Chairman of the Brownsville Navigation District

In honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 12-18), the Port of Brownsville, along with the entire trucking industry in the United States, is thanking the millions of professional truck drivers who work every day to deliver America’s freight safely and securely to provide for our communities.

Nearly every part of our lives is impacted by the work of these highway heroes. The trucking industry is the backbone of our economy, and our professional drivers are the industry’s heart. Visit any grocery store, business, or medical facility throughout the Rio Grande Valley, or any other part of the country, and that becomes immediately obvious. Without them, our workplace, home, dinner table, and everything else in our life would look very different.

America’s professional truck drivers ar

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — September 3, 2021 – The Port of Brownsville announces the appointment of two new deputy port directors effective August 9, 2021.

Melinda Rodriguez is the deputy port director of administration and will oversee the port’s Human Resources, Real Estate Services, Finance, Communications and Administrative Services departments.

Rodriguez has worked in a variety of leadership positions with organizations such as NextDecade, Texas Southmost College, Catholic Charities of Central Texas, United Way of Hidalgo County, March of Dimes, Cystic Fibrosis-Central Texas, and United Blood Services. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Texas, Pan American (now UTRGV), a Master of Arts in Human Services from St. Edward’s University, and she is currently working on a doctorate degree. Her career spans 33 years in administratio

Continued Investment

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

The Port of Brownsville began 85 years ago as a major agriculture hub for the region, and 2020 saw the restart of grain exports of regionally grown sorghum destined to China, creating new international market opportunities for South Texas farming families. The port completed the rehabilitation of Bulk Cargo Dock, improving access to the 3 million-bushel grain elevator operated by WestPlains LLC. In 2020, the port received a $14.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve railroad, road and ship-loading infrastructure at the Bulk Cargo Dock and further expand WestPlains’ grain-handling operations at the facility.

To keep up with growing demand for additional cargohan

Public Access to Gayman Channel Restricted

Work Continues to Restore Bahia Grande Basin

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – August 27, 2021 – Access to the Carl “Joe” Gayman channel will be closed to the public beginning Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, as work continues to increase tidal exchange and restore the Bahia Grande as a major fish, wildlife and waterfowl nursery.

The closure will occur to the south of SH 48, limiting public parking and access to the channel.

The current 34-foot-wide half-mile Gayman channel connecting the Bahia Grande and the Brownsville Ship Channel will be widened to 250 feet and deepened to nine feet. This will increase tidal exchange by a factor of 13x and restore the ecosystem as a major fish, wildlife and waterfowl nursery and habitat. The Bahia Grande is a 10,000-acre coastal ecosystem and wetland complex that includes three shallow basins located within the Laguna Atascosa

Notice of Meeting to Vote on Tax Rate

Statements required in notice if the proposed tax rate does not exceed the lower of the no-new-revenue tax rate or the voter-approval tax rate, as prescribed by Tax Code Sec. 26.061.

A tax rate of $0.029955 per $100 valuation has been proposed by the governing body of BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT.

PROPOSED TAX RATE $0.029955 per $100

NO-NEW-REVENUE TAX RATE $0.030285 per $100

VOTER-APPROVAL TAX RATE $0.029955 per $100

The no-new-revenue tax rate is the tax rate for the 2021 tax year that will raise the same amount of property tax revenue for BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT from the same properties in both the 2020 tax year and the 2021 tax year.

The voter-approval rate is the highest tax rate that BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT may adopt without holding an election to seek voter approval o

2021 Notice of Tax Rates in the Brownsville Navigation District

This notice concerns the 2021 property tax rates for BROWNSVILLE NAVIGATION DISTRICT. This notice provides information about two tax rates used in adopting the current tax year’s tax rate. The no-new-revenue tax rate would impose the same amount of taxes as last year if you compare properties taxed in both years. In most cases, the voter-approval tax rate is the highest tax rate a taxing unit can adopt without holding an election. In each case, these rates are calculated by dividing the total amount of taxes by the current taxable value with adjustments as required by state law. The rates are given per $100 of property value.

2021 NOTICE OF TAX RATES IN BND

Port Hosts Inaugural Propeller Club Meeting

BROWNSVILLE, Texas, August 2, 2021 – Under new charter, the Propeller Club of the United States, Port Port of Brownsville-Port Isabel, Texas chapter, held its inaugural meeting July 8, with the intention to increase its membership.

The meeting also served to introduce the chapter’s new board members: Robert Berry, president; Cesar Ramirez, vice president; Tony Rodriguez, treasurer; Frank Perez, secretary; Ankjaer Jensen, board member; Melinda Rodriguez, board member; and Norma Torres, board member.

The propeller club is dedicated to the promotion of maritime business, commerce and global trade while providing networking Read More

New Captain of the Port for USCG Regional Sector

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi held a change-of-command ceremony June 18, where Capt. Hans Govertsen relieved Capt. Edward Gaynor as commander of the sector.

Capt. Govertsen will now oversee South Texas waterways from the Port of Brownsville to Port Lavaca. Govertsen transferred to Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi from the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans, where he held the position of resource division chief.

The change-of-command ceremony marks a transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another. It is a time-honored tradition, conducted before the assembled crew, honored guests and dignitaries, to formally demonstrate the continuity of the authority within a command.

Gaynor served as the commanding officer of Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi since May 2018 and ov

Economic Resilience, Bright Outlook

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

The Port of Brownsville has come a long way in its 85-year history, finding ways to overcome challenges and ever-changing global markets. The port proved resilient throughout 2020 in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic challenges, moving a record-setting 11.6 million short tons of diverse cargo with operating revenues of $37 million, far

Port of Brownsville feeding Steel Slab to Ternium’s New Hot Rolling Mill at Pesqueria

BROWNSVILLE, Texas, July 2, 2021 –Steel is now rolling off Ternium’s new state-of-the-art hot rolling mill in Pesqueria, Mexico.

The new hot rolling mill, located at the Ternium Industrial Center outside of Monterrey, has produced its first two coils, the company announced in May.

“This is a very important milestone, as it is the result of the effort of many people who invested their dedication all this time. It’s a success for all the team”, said Cesar Jimenez, the company’s CEO.

The new rolling mill, with an annual capacity of more than 4 million tons of hot-rolled products, will produce specialized steel for the automotive and white goods industries. It includes the latest equipment in technology and is 100 percent automated, with more than 6,000 sensors installed throughout the mill, which allows for excellent precision in its operations, the com