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Port of Brownsville Posts Record Cargo, Total Operating Revenue in 2018

[ March 22, 2019   //   ]

The Port of Brownsville set new records in tonnage and total operating revenue in 2018, moving 11.3 million tons of diverse cargos with operating revenues of more than $24.2 million. The results reveal a 6.6% increase in cargos, a 25% increase in rail movements, and a 2.5% increase in operating revenues from the previous year.
“Congratulations to our partners, customers, and port users who all contributed to these new high-water marks,” said John Reed, Chairman of the Brownsville Navigation District. “Steel was up, almost all petroleum categories were up, dry bulk cement and sugar were way up.”
The port’s Foreign Trade Zone No. 62 ranked second in the nation with exported goods valued at $3.6 billion, setting another record. Due to its unique location and proximity to key markets, the port remains a critical gateway for steel products entering Mexico’s industrial centers from across the globe.
The port continues to invest in major infrastructure improvements. A new $28 million Liquid Cargo Dock 6 will be completed and in-service by the end of the second quarter of this year, greatly expanding the ability to move energy products quickly, safely and efficiently. The Bulk Cargo Dock at the port’s grain elevator is under renovation and expected to be finished and operational by June, allowing the export of grain products for the first time in nearly a decade. And a $350 million channel-deepening project is expected to receive key permits by year’s end. This project will deepen the channel from 42 feet to 52 feet, making it one of the deepest U.S. ports on the Gulf of Mexico.
This work continues to attract potential operations that would bring significant economic and job opportunities to the region. In recent weeks, Rio Grande LNG finalized a 50-year lease for an almost 1,000-acre site at the port as the company continues to seek approvals for its $15 billion investment in Cameron County. Big River Steel recently extended its option for an expected investment of $1.6 billion for its proposed steel mill. And Keppel AmFELS announced an expansion to its port operations, introducing deep-draft ship building to Texas for the first time.

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