The Port of Brownsville was chosen yesterday as the site for Saronic Technologies’ Port Alpha, a next generation shipyard focused on software and autonomous based ship technologies.

The $3.2bn project comes at the hand of Saronic Technologies which was founded in 2022 and designs and builds Autonomous Surface Vessels for commercial and military applications, essentially driverless boats.

In line with the Trump administration’s reshoring strategy, the project aims to “restore U.S. shipbuilding capacity at scale” and simultaneously create “one of the most advanced shipyards in the world.”

According to the official press release, the statewide economic impact of this project will be $264.5bn with ~$160bn of that being in Cameron County alongside the creation of around 10,000 direct jobs over the next year.

Given the immense economic impact, we weren’t the only area vying for the new Saronic shipyard. Brownsville was chosen after a year-long search for suitable sites, and while it ultimately came down to us and another site in California, the 95% tax abatement we pledged over 20 years tilted the scale in our favor. In local news, we talk about abatements and tax incentives without sometimes explaining fully what’s going on behind the jargon.

It does not need to be said but employees will pay taxes (sale and property) and spend money that will reverberate throughout the economy. Importantly, Saronic will collaborate with the State of Texas, Cameron County, and local educational institutions to develop workforce training and apprenticeship programs so people from the area have a chance at landing these jobs. Imagine we added a maritime economy to the valley alongside the ground trade that occurs between the U.S. and Mexico. Young men and women wouldn’t have to leave to corners of the state and county looking for high paying jobs if they are in the region.

There is a risk they could decide to pack up and leave after 20 years, but you can’t just pack up an entire shipyard. Worst case they leave then we’d still be left with infrastructure that can be repurposed or reused by another company.