Years ago, there was little more than a scenic wildlife refuge wetlands landscape along Texas Highway 48, but it’s becoming a more industrial hub as Port of Brownsville leaders navigate several new companies looking to invest.
Over the past year, the former Singapore-based Seatrium AmFELS shipyard signage was replaced by Turkish shipbuilder Karadeniz Holdings’ American subsidiary, Karpower Valley Inc.
In recent weeks, Karpower Valley added several more signs on the north side of Texas Highway 48. The company purchased 302 acres of land in a deal that closed in August 2026, Cameron County Appraisal District records show. That acquisition brings the company’s land control to roughly 1,100 acres — most of which would be leased by the Port of Brownsville.
The land price was not disclosed, other than the customary $10 and other considerations. The appraisal district valued the land based on its previous use as pasture and cropland at $183,474 for 2026.
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Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza
Reporter
Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza is a versatile multimedia news reporter who lives and works along the Texas-Mexico border in Hidalgo County. Mosbrucker-Garza is a news reporter for the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal. During her career she's worked for the McAllen Monitor, San Antonio Business Journal, The Advocate Newspaper in Louisiana, Phoenix New Times, and public media outlets in Baltimore and Philadelphia.
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