Port of Brownsville ends year strong, sidestepping tariffs and expecting steady cargo through 2026

Over the past four years, the Port of Brownsville has seen a steady increase in total cargo, the port’s top leader told customers during a luncheon Thursday afternoon. 

In 2020, the port moved 11.6 million metric tons through vessels, trucks, and via pipeline. Since then, it has more than doubled that number, rising to 13.9 million in 2021, 15.2 million in 2022, 18.1 million in 2023, and 28 million in 2024. 

And that trajectory is expected to remain steady, but not break another cargo record this fiscal year, port officials said. The port’s 2025 fiscal year began Oct. 1 and doesn’t end until Sept. 30, 2026. 

“We expect to finish this year with equally strong performance,” said William Dietrich, CEO of the Port of Brownsville. “And let’s keep in mind, most ports in the United States are 13% down [in cargo], we didn’t suffer that.”