MCALLEN, Texas - Brownsville Navigation District’s port director, Eduardo ‘Eddie’ Campirano recently spoke at a meeting of TxDOT’s Border Trade Advisory Committee.

In his presentation, Campirano spoke about a project underway to deepen the Port of Brownsville’s ship channel, plus plans to build an industrial park and construct a liquefied natural gas export terminal. 


"Maritime transportation is critical to cross-border trade. It is the piece of transportation nobody thinks about," Campirano said. "There is no better example of that than the Port of Brownsville. Ninety percent of our business at the port is focused on trade with Mexico. Eighty-five percent of our rail cargo moves south into Mexico. So, it is integral to what we do."

The BTAC meeting was held at the McAllen Convention Center.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Things are full steam ahead at the Port of Brownsville today and there a lot more things to come for the entire Rio Grande Valley.

A huge multibillion project is in the works and it will take the region another dimension once completed. 

Yes, it’s billions with a B and there are quite a few of them.

“This is an $11.4 billion investment,” Ed Campirano, the port’s director, said recently at a meeting of the South Texas Manufacturers Association. “How often the Valley has even been in a discussion of this nature. Never?”

He said the project is expected to create and sustain more than 6,000 construction local jobs over a period.

Keeping such development is going to be something hard to be kept under wraps, he continued.

“This is going to hit us all,” Campirano said. “We can’t wait for this and I am sure a lot of people in this room can’t wait either.”

The port director was referring to liquefied natural gas export terminal that NextDecade is developing on a 984-acre site at the port and which will produce 27 million metric tons of low carbon intensive LNG.

Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Two key players at Brownsville Navigation District are featured in this podcast about the history of ship channel improvement projects at the Port of Brownsville.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is about to start deepening the Brazos Island Harbor ship channel from 42 feet to 52 feet.

“I believe sincerely and in my heart that this will be the most significant of all the deepening projects,” said Eduardo Campirano, port director for Brownsville Navigation District. This has much more significance, especially for the future sustainability of the port. So, this is a big deal.”

Campirano was interviewed by Ron Whitlock of Ron Whitlock Reports. 

Phase One of the current dredging project is being handled and financed by NextDecade. The company plans to build a liquefied natural gas export terminal at the port. Phase Two is being handled by the Corps of Engineers, with the federal government and the port financing the project. 

“This is the first public-private partnership that the Corps has had for deepening the channel. They have had one other but it was not for deepening the channel so it is new to them,” said Brownsville Navigation District board member John Wood.

Wood (pictured below) was interviewed by Rio Grande Guardian editor Steve Taylor.

Editor's Note: The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service's website has a timeline of Port of Brownsville ship channel improvement projects dating back to 1933.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Having visited the offices of the Port of Brownsville a few times over the years, I was always aware of a proud sense of Rio Grande Valley history when I looked at the photos and newspaper accounts displayed on the wall in the main office.

With our a doubt, the 85th Anniversary of the Port of Brownsville is a major news item in the Rio Grande Valley.

Referring to the Port of Brownsville, Port Director Eddie Campirano said: “We’re the only deep water port directly on the U.S.-Mexico border. And if you think about the region, where else can it be replicated?”

The Port of Brownsville is celebrating its 85th Anniversary with an Open Day for the general public on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Recently, during a Rio Grande Valley Partnership-sponsored tour of the Port of Brownsville, Port Director Campirano offered important details about activities at the Port of Brownsville. The attached podcast (thanks to Ron Whitlock of Ron Whitlock Reports) contains all the remarks Campirano made in a presentation to RGVP and its VIP guests.

The Port of Brownsville celebrates its 85th Anniversary with an Open Day for the general public on Saturday, Oct. 23. This 85th Anniversary Open Day includes boat and bus tours, live music, animal exhibits, a children’s play area, free food, refreshments and prices. 

If you plan to take your family to Open Day, please remember, the port is a secured area. Adults must present a valid government ID card, such as a driver’s license. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. The Port of Brownsville’s Open Day festivities run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 23. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - While many industries struggled in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the Port of Brownsville managed to stay afloat and even experienced growth. 

Eduardo A. Campirano, port director and CEO, spoke to Rio Grande GuardianEditor-in-Chief Steve Taylor about the state of the port and their monumental year. 

As one of the 16 essential infrastructure sectors identified by the federal government, the port remained fully operational.

“In spite of the year and the difficulties with the year, for us, we have to keep our doors open,” said Campirano. “ … The movement of cargo doesn’t stop. The closing the borders doesn’t stop. The receipt of global shipping doesn’t stop.”

Despite supply chain disruptions, Campirano said that the port saw an average of 1,500 trucks a day loading and unloading cargo. He explained that as businesses began to reevaluate their logistical operations during this health crisis, the Port of Brownsville became an appealing and, in some cases, cost-effective alternative.

“We’ve been able to demonstrate that we have the capability,” said Campirano. “And, you know, that commodity may move in by vessel, but it moves out by truck; we’ve moved it out by barge; we’ve moved it out by rail. So, the logistics platform is well-suited to provide that customer variety and access to markets perhaps in a much more affordable way, and so that’s been a plus for us.”

Campirano said the port opened up markets to Rio Grande Valley and Mexican businesses that had not been available before. Increases in cargo volume and diversity were the result. Manufactured goods like electronic parts and agricultural commodities like grain were shipped around the East Coast and even as far as China. Their newly initiated container service connected goods with Port Tampa Bay, another burgeoning market for businesses.

Campirano says that he is cautiously optimistic, even in good years, about the port’s revenue and growth and hoped to at least match last’s figures in light of the pandemic. In July, Brownsville Navigation District Commissioner John Reed said the port was faring the crisis well, but Campirano was pleasantly surprised to see that 2020’s numbers had surpassed those of 2019. With this trend, even as some major projects are still on hold, Campirano says 2021 “could be a year for the record books.”

“If we, with the advent of the vaccine for COVID[-19] and the return to some sense of normalcy, if we can hit that in full stride, then I believe the prospects for our region are very exciting.”

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The port director of the Brownsville Navigation District says business has been good so far in 2020.

Eddie Campirano was a guest on a recent webinar hosted by the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce. 

Campirano told Chamber President Esmy Villarreal that the Port of Brownsville moved more cargo during the first quarter of 2020 than it did in the first quarter of 2019. 

“The mix of commodities may have changed somewhat. Steel is not as robust as we have seen. Nor liquid commodities. But, it has been made up for with the wind components. It has been made up for in some of the other markets we serve,” Campirano said.

Looking ahead, Campirano said: “Will that remain for the rest of the year? We hope so but at the end of the day we may be running into what we see in some of the changes that have occurred in the last few months.”

Campirano acknowledged it may take some time to catch up with previous volumes for some of the activities that occur at the port.

“As consumers demand comes back so will some of these activities but at this point we are excited with the 2020 comparison with 2019. We hope that trend continues,” Campirano said.

“We will always see peaks and valleys in our cargo movement. On the whole it is looking very good.”

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, RGV - Anchor Mario Muñoz and Reporter Steve Taylor look back at the top news stories for week-ending July 19, 2019.

Among the topics covered are:

• Congressman Henry Cuellar seeking to get reimbursements for border communities that have spent millions of dollars assisting asylum seekers.
• CK Technologies, a company that manufactures plastic injection molding parts for buses and trucks in Mexico, which had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their eight years in Brownsville
• RGV Focus, which held its summer retreat on South Padre Island and learned it had received a $2.44 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Brownsville Navigation District as it publishes its 2019 Directory.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, RGV - Eddie Campirano, port director for Brownsville Navigation District, gave an in-depth presentation to site selectors from Europe during a familiarization tour organized by Rio South Texas Economic Council. 

The site selectors were members of Transatlantic Business & Investment Council and they spent four days in the Rio Grande Valley.

Campirano pointed out that the Port of Brownsville is the only deep-water sea port directly located on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

“We are also the largest land-owning public port authority in the United States.,” Campirano said.

“Our foreign trade zone is ranked No. 2 in the nation, continuous, very steady, for the value of exported commodities.

“And, we happen to be home to the largest domestic fabricator of offshore exploration and drilling platforms in the United States.”

During the presentation Campiranno discussed the possibility of liquefied natural gas export terminals being built at the port. He also spoke about other plans to expand economic activity. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.