Channel improvement works at Texas’ Brownsville Port enter second phase; Callan Marine starts $104mm project with multiple funding sources

The project will deepen the 17-mile (27-kilometre) Brownsville Ship Channel from 42 feet (13 metres) to 52 feet (16 metres), improving navigational safety and enabling larger commercial vessels to access South Texas.

The project advances business development while conserving the regional ecosystem. An environmental assessment conducted by the USACE found no anticipated impacts on aquatic environments or critical habitats during and after the completion of the project.

The BIH project is funded via a two-phase innovative Public Private Partnership (P3) led by the USACE, the Port of Brownsville, and NextDecade Corporation, parent company of Rio Grande LNG.

Managed by the Port of Brownsville and USACE, phase three will deepen the channel from the turning basin to NextDecade’s site. The US$139.5 million cost of phase two is supported by US$68 million in federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Appropriations Law, with the Port of Brownsville contributing US$71.5 million. In October, the Port of Brownsville secured a $43 million loan from the Texas Department of Transportation to assist with the financing of the project.

Phase two of the BIH project began in 2023 with the dredged material placement area improvement portion of the project. As part of the dredging process, materials collected are placed in approved disposal sites. The dredged material is often utilised for beach renourishment projects led by the USACE.

In August, the USACE awarded a US$104 million contract to Callan Marine for phase two of the BIH project. The contractor is required to remove approximately seven million cubic yards (5.4 million cubic metres) of material using a pipeline dredge.

The estimated completion date for phase two of the project is 2026.

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