Borderlands: Texas port begins $68M channel improvement project

Texas port begins $68M channel deepening project

The Brownsville Ship Channel is set to be widened and deepened with the recent signing of a partnership agreement between the Brownsville Navigation District (BND) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

The Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project — USACE’s official name for the endeavor — will deepen the ship channel from its current 42 feet to 52 feet. The deepening aims to enable the 17-mile ship channel to accommodate larger, heavier cargo vessels.

“The completion of the project will not only shape the course of our future but also the economic landscape of the Rio Grande Valley,” Esteban Guerra, BND chairman, said in a statement. “Increasing the depth of the ship channel will allow us to receive larger vessels and contribute to cost savings, setting in motion the next great evolution of the Port of Brownsville.”

Located 277 miles south of San Antonio at the southernmost tip of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico, the Brownsville Ship Channel at the Port of Brownsville is the only deep-water seaport located along the border, making it a major trade channel between Texas and Mexico.

More than 80% of the port’s trade is with Mexico, transporting products such as steel, gasoline and other fuels across the border. The types of commercial vessels regularly calling at Brownsville are bulk carriers and oil/chemical tankers. The port also boasts 13 general cargo docks and six liquid cargo docks.

The channel improvement project has two phases. The recent agreement between BND and USACE concerns phase two, which includes the stretch of the ship channel from its turning basin to the western boundary of the proposed site of Next Decade’s Rio Grande LNG (liquefied natural gas) export terminal. Next Decade will pay for phase one of the project.

Officials did not specify when the channel dredging would begin but said the entire project is scheduled to be completed in three years.

Port of Brownsville officials have been fighting for the dredging project’s funding since around 2007. The plan received a boost in March when it was announced phase two would be funded with $68 million from the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment Act.

Timothy Vail, USACE Galveston District commander, said deepening the channel is important for increasing the United States’ clean energy capabilities.

“This project supports wind-based and other green energy expansion in Texas and across the nation by increasing imports of key materials, parts and equipment,” Vail said in a statement. “The Port of Brownsville is the only port in Texas where deep draft vessels are being built. These deep draft vessels, which will now be able to access the port, are needed for the increased import of wind products.”

US authorizes imports of Jalisco avocados

After 10 years of negotiations, the Mexican state of Jalisco recently received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin exporting Hass avocados to America.

Jalisco avocado growers are initially expected to export 3,000 to 5,000 tons of the fruit per week to the U.S., according to Mexican officials.

Officials for the state of Jalisco said the USDA recently sent notification that it had concluded the inspection and certification of more than 8,000 hectares of avocado in more than 600 orchards on Monday. Jalisco’s avocado sector also has 11 packing plants that meet requirements to export to the U.S.

Since 1997, the Mexican state of Michoacán had been the only jurisdiction certified to export avocados to America.

In 2021, the U.S. imported $3 billion worth of avocados globally, with $2.8 billion coming from Mexico.

Commodities Integrated Logistics Group expands in Pharr, adding 100 jobs

Commodities Integrated Logistics Group (CIL) recently announced it is building a 95,000 square-foot logistics facility in Pharr, Texas, called Queenstown Park.

Queenstown Park will provide processing, storage, and distribution services for cross-border trade. CIL Group ships U.S. cotton into Mexico.

The company said the facility will include 80,000 square feet of cold storage space, 15,000 square feet of office space and create 100 jobs. CIL currently boasts more than 1.1 million square feet of logistics space in Pharr.

“This new modern facility will help advance CIL’s services, attract new partners and enhance output,” Victor Perez, president and CEO of the Pharr Economic Development Corp., said in a statement.

Texas CBP intercepts first-in-port pest in shipment of flowers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists working at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas recently discovered a variety of prohibited pests and plant diseases, including one moth larvae never before encountered at this port of entry.

The discovery occurred when CBP agents inspected cargo arriving from several international destinations, including fresh jasmine flowers from India. As CBP agriculture specialists examined the flowers, they discovered live lepidoptera larvae, which were sent to the USDA for identification.

The larvae was confirmed to be Hendecasis duplifascialis Hampson, a type of destructive moth, known to attack the jasmine flower.