The Port of Brownsville, Texas: Gateway to U.S.-Mexico Industry and Trade

When it comes to U.S.-Mexico manufacturing and trade, the Port of Brownsville, Texas is one of the most vital arteries in the United States. Port Director William Dietrich refers to it as “feeding the maquila,” or maquiladoras, which are cross-border twin plants that generally locate company administration in the United States and physical manufacturing in Mexico. What links them is the Port of Brownsville and its vital facilities, location and connectivity. 

The Port of Brownsville was built to be a conduit for global trade, particularly in heavy industry. It is the only deepwater seaport along the U.S.–Mexico border, located at the southernmost tip of Texas and closest to Mexico’s industrial core. Direct access to Mexico’s manufacturing sector makes the port one of the most strategic when it comes to cross-border trade as well as a vital hub for nearshoring operations serving both U.S. and Mexican markets.

About 90 percent of the goods that flow through the port are materials to fuel heavy industry, including hot rolled and cold rolled steel, steel slab and oil and hydrocarbon products. The port boasts 13 dry docks for breakbulk and six liquid cargo docks.

Increasingly, the Port of Brownsville is playing a significant role in renewable energy logistics, particularly in the transport of oversized equipment such as wind turbines. In addition, it expects to play a growing role in the commercial space industry, as it is located just a short distance from SpaceX’s Starbase launch site.

Opportunities abound for heavy industry at the Port of Brownsville. It maintains 40,000 acres that are ready for development for organizations seeking unmatched connectivity to supply chains by rail, highway and waterway. It is located just seven miles by truck and 13 miles by rail from U.S.-Mexico border crossings and links directly to key United States-Mexico- Canada Agreement (USMCA) transportation corridors.

The Port of Brownsville by the Numbers

Data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have indicated that the Port of Brownsville grew to number 41 among the nation’s 150 maritime ports for waterborne cargo. This number represents the port’s highest ranking to date. Data from 2023 found that the port moved 11.2 million tons of waterborne cargo, up from 9.1 million tons in 2022.

In 2024, vessel traffic reached 2,322 vessel calls, 450,000 truck movements and 95,000 railcar movements. Total cargo movement reached 28 million tons, representing a 57 percent increase from 2023. Operating revenue at the port in 2024 reached $43.3 million. This growth continues to fuel jobs, new business ventures and expanding industrial opportunities. 

An Ideal Location for Transportation

The Port of Brownsville is not just a place for ships to dock. It’s a multimodal logistics center that moves steel, refined petroleum products, grains and aggregates across more than 12 Mexican states and beyond and offers the vital services that facilitate the flow of goods. As Foreign Trade Zone No. 62, it offers tariff, duty and cost savings that can help companies create jobs and effect industrial growth for both the U.S. and Mexico. The port represents one of the largest and busiest FTZs in the State of Texas. 

To further facilitate trade, the Port of Brownsville has cultivated a master franchise agreement with OmniTRAX that provides short rail service throughout the port connecting with three Class 1 railroads – UP and BNSF – for shipments in the U.S. and CPKC for southbound cargo into Mexico.

The Continued Growth of the Port of Brownsville

Today, the Port of Brownsville is taking advantage of new opportunities that will help it shape the economic landscape for success. Currently, more than $30 billion in projects are underway.

“We are seeing a very welcome uptick in business,” noted Dietrich. “We’re currently dredging our channel to 52 feet, and that project should be finished in June 2026. With a deeper channel, we will be able to bring in larger vessels and maximize each load that comes in. We are also expecting to see an uptick in prospects with the deeper draft and our well-established connection to Mexico.”

With major infrastructure improvements, increased capabilities and a strong commitment to sustainability, the Port of Brownsville is a symbol of progress in the maritime industry. Recent growth has seen an expansion of the port’s LNG (liquefied natural gas) business, and projects like Rio Grande LNG and Texas LNG are creating thousands of jobs and generating significant long-term economic benefits for the Rio Grande Valley, resulting in some of the largest investments in the U.S. energy sector.

Texas LNG, a project of Glenfarne Energy Transition, is a planned 4 MTPA export terminal at the Port of Brownsville designed to be one of the lowest-emission LNG facilities in the world. It has secured offtake agreements with companies including EQT Corporation, Gunvor Group, Macquarie and a major European utility. Texas LNG recently cleared a key regulatory milestone with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and is targeting a Final Investment Decision by the end of 2025. Kiewit Corporation has been selected as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor, with the project expected to be completed by 2029.

“We’re in negotiation right now with several tier-one industries that want to come into the port,” said Dietrich.  “We have Rio Grande LNG building a new facility here, which is a $23 billion project. We are in a public-private partnership with them for dredging the channel, and they have supplied $400 million to that project.” 

In addition, the port’s dominance in the steel industry continues to grow with new activity. Mexico’s Forza Steel recently invested $85 million to construct a 650,000-square-foot facility on the site for the manufacture of carbon steel pipes and tubes for the automotive, construction and oil and gas industries. The goal of the project was to close gaps in the supply chain by manufacturing closer to the customer base. The facility is expected to create more than 600 jobs.

Channel Deepening

Another recent infrastructure investment includes the Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project, which is deepening the port’s 17-mile ship channel from 42 feet to 52 feet. The increased depth will allow larger vessels to enter more safely, reduce waiting times and improve overall port efficiency.

The two-phase project is backed by a public-private partnership involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Port of Brownsville and energy company NextDecade. Phase One, led by NextDecade, involved a $400 million project that deepened the channel near the Rio Grande LNG site and built two new ship berths and a turning basin. Phase 2, led by the port and the Corps, is being supported by $68 million in federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 

A New Business Park

Among the port’s latest development is the creation of a 118-acre business park, a project which broke ground in mid-2023. The business park features 17 fully serviced lots equipped with utilities and seamless access to the USMCA corridor. The site is connected to three Class I railroads and direct entry to the port’s overweight corridor, making it ideal for light to medium manufacturing across multiple industries. It offers 24-7 security.

In April 2024, food manufacturer Westa Inc. became the first tenant of the business park. The company is now finalizing plans for a $20 million state-of-the-art wheat flour mill and sunflower processing plant with storage silos on a 10-acre site at the port’s turning basin. The project, which will receive raw materials by barge from the Midwest, is expected to create 120 new jobs. 

The business park, which is located near the port’s turning basin, offers connectivity to oceangoing vessels and a robust barge system, a competitive advantage unique among South Texas business parks. 

The port’s location and multimodal access position it as a unique link between global trade and emerging industries, and represent significant opportunity for new tenants. For more information, contact the Port of Brownsville at 956-831-4592. T&ID