Sugar shipper starts Brownsville port operations

CSC, a large U.S. refined sugar importer and exporter, has commenced a new packaging and distribution operation at the Port of Brownsville this week.    A large U.S. refined sugar importer and exporter has started a new packaging and distribution operation this week at the Port of Brownsville, located at the southern tip of Texas.
   “We chose the Port of Brownsville specifically because it provides great access from both Union Pacific and BNSF railroads,” CSC Sugar President and CEO Paul Farmer said. “The freight rate to Brownsville is basically the same regardless where you’re coming from, whether it’s from the sugar growing regions in Minnesota or Idaho. Having the Brownsville Rio Grande International Railway as the local short line is also a key part of the deal.”
   In 2014, the port entered a partnership with OmniTRAX to operate BRG and develop the 1,400-acre GEOTRAC Industrial Hub.
   CSC is one of the largest importers and exporters of refined sugar to and from North America, and began discussions with the port about the project in late 2015. The Connecticut company leased 242,000 square feet of warehousing space at Brownsville to export beet sugar to Africa, which comes from the West and Midwest via UP and BNSF railroads.
   CSC expects to receive up to 25 to 30 railcars weekly. It’s expected that about 500 tons of sugar daily will be packaged in 50-kilogram bags for export.
   The combined warehouses will accommodate 25,000 packaged tons of stored sugar, the Port of Brownsville said.