Contractor Taps Port of Brownsville for $3.2B Military Contract

A drone-boat startup plans to use the Port of Brownsville as its base for a $3.2 billion military contract. Saronic Technologies Inc. was selected over a competitor in the Bay Area of California. The company bills it as a next-generation shipyard for building advanced autonomous vessels. Saronic plans to break ground on the project this year and bring it online in 2028. The project, Port Alpha, will create 10,000 jobs.

The Cameron County commissioners court approved a $211 million tax break for Saronic Technologies. The tax break would take the form of a 95% tax abatement over 20 years.

Pointe Isabel Independent School District, the school district that covers the port land targeted by Saronic, also previously voted unanimously to approve a deal that would give the company $517 million in school tax abatements through 2034.

The factory will be a ground-up build, large-scale shipbuilding and maritime industrial facility that supports the construction, integration and launch of ships in a controlled, high-production environment.