Summer is off to a busy start at the Port of Brownsville.

“It's a good time for us,” port director Eduardo Campirano said. “We've got quite a few vessels waiting to come into port, we've got boards at anchorage waiting to come into port, we've got a significant amount of barges in port as well."

The traffic means more business for Dix Industries, which has called the Port of Brownsville home for the past 75 years.

The company helps load and offload cargo ships.

“We expect more to come over the next 10 years,” Dix Industries President Lee Ostos said.

Summer also brings a higher demand for refined products such as gas.

Around 90% of what the port handles is from cross border trade with Mexico as its biggest partner.

“We are a significant player in cross border trade, and of course that's something the Valley does very well,” Campirano said. “Commerce across the border is key to the region, and it's really a big part of what we do."

According to a 2017 economic impact report, the Port of Brownsville adds $2.6 billion annually to the Valley's economy.

The Port of Brownsville moves more steel than any other domestic competitor. In 2022, 4.6 million tons were moved out of the port, but that steel volume is expected to increase to 5.5 million tons by the end of 2023.

Campirano says the port is a critical part of the supply chain

“We don't have our eggs in just one basket; it isn't just energy, it isn't just steel, it's a whole host of commodities,” Campirano said. “We're getting into the agriculture season, we obviously have a grain elevator here."

The port director says he hopes to expand operations by deepening the ship channel to allow bigger cargo ships to move in and out.

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