BARTON AND LENZ ENJOY AN EDUCATIONAL BOAT TOUR OF THE PORT OF BROWNSVILLE

Port Director Eduardo Campirano with Brownsville Observer

Editor Jim Barton on 90 Minute Boat Tour of the Port of Brownsville

Port Director Campirano's fervent passion for the port is undeniable.  Stats roll off his tongue as if reciting a grandchild's report card;  $2.2 billion in economic impact for the region, more than $3 billion for the state.  

My friend Daniel Lenz and I enjoyed an almost magical afternoon on a boat tour of Brownsville's unique port arranged by Port Commissioner Esteban Guerra.

While Homeland Security regulations prevented me from taking pictures of facilities we viewed from the water, Commissioner Guerra snapped the personal picture above.

Campirano, a Brownsville native, who fished at the port as a youth, does not foresee the port's commercial expansion impacting recreational needs of our area.

"I don't envision port expansion including the entire ship channel in our lifetime or that of our children or grandchildren," he stated.

"Purposely, we haven't maximized the dollar amount for every part of the port."

Even the advent of LNG, according to Campirano, will not be the prime mover of the Port of Brownsville.

"We're letting them go through the environmental regulation and studies.  We trust government agencies to properly vet them," said the director.

Up to now, according to the director, the LNG companies have merely signed options to lock in the possible lease rates for acreage at the port.

"Even now, marine vessels are being converted to LNG or alternative fuels.  That's the future."

Campirano speaks with pride about the restoration of the port's huge grain elevators, fabrication of the world's largest metal structures at the port, including the world's longest diagonal drill(13 mile length) shipped to Russia. aircraft carrier recycling, ship building and the prospect of being the first U.S. port to deconstruct a nuclear carrier(The Enterprise).

Daniel and I thank Commissioner Guerra and Director Campirano for the once-in-a-lifetime tour.