Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Vice President JD Vance join Saronic Technologies executives and Port of Brownsville officials during Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the $3 billion Port Alpha shipyard. The project is expected to create up to 10,000 direct jobs in the region. (Photo courtesy Saronic Technologies)
By DIANTÉ MARIGNY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.
BROWNSVILLE—Construction is officially underway on a more than $3 billion shipyard at the Port of Brownsville that is expected to create thousands of jobs and significantly expand shipbuilding operations in South Texas.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Vice President JD Vance joined Saronic Technologies executives and local officials Wednesday, Sept. 30, for the groundbreaking of Port Alpha, a next-generation shipyard planned on 835 acres at the Port of Brownsville.
The project represents more than $3 billion in private investment and is expected to create up to 10,000 direct jobs. Port officials have previously estimated the development could generate more than $160 billion in economic impact for Cameron County and $264.5 billion statewide.
Port Alpha will manufacture both autonomous and manned vessels for commercial and defense uses.
“The seas of the world will be ruled by warships built in the great State of Texas,” Abbott said during Wednesday’s ceremony. “Port Alpha will build on that record to strengthen Texas’ workforce and shape the arc of national security.”
The development is expected to have a significant workforce impact across Cameron County and the Rio Grande Valley.
Saronic is working with the state, Cameron County and regional educational institutions to establish engineering, technical training and apprenticeship programs intended to prepare workers for jobs at the facility. Positions are expected to include welders, engineers and advanced manufacturing technicians.
The Port of Brownsville previously credited several regional partners involved in bringing Saronic to the area, including Point Isabel Independent School District, Cameron County and the Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation.
At opening, Port Alpha is expected to have approximately 1.2 million square feet of enclosed production space across eight to 10 production buildings, along with more than 2,500 feet of deepwater quay. Saronic says its initial annual shipbuilding capacity will total 150,000 gross tons.
The facility will initially be capable of constructing vessels up to 850 feet long. The company has an option to expand the site from its initial 835 acres to nearly 4,400 acres, which could eventually allow construction of vessels exceeding 1,200 feet.
The Port of Brownsville previously said Port Alpha is expected to begin operations in 2028, with the development expanding in phases as production demand grows.
Wednesday’s groundbreaking comes a little more than two months after Saronic announced its selection of Brownsville for the project.
J
oining Abbott and Vance at Wednesday’s event were Saronic co-founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas, U.S. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. and Nathaniel Moran, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr., Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt and other state and local officials.