Velasco Terminal Expansion Project Starting This Month

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has been awarded the Velasco Container Terminal expansion project at Port Freeport, Texas.

The Velasco Terminal expansion, which includes Berth 8, features over 925 feet of berth extension and will accommodate post-Panamax gantry cranes.

This will be the single largest project built by a public port on the Texas Gulf Coast.

“McCarthy has vast experience working along the Texas coast, building and rehabilitating ports,” said Fitz O’Donnell, vice president of operations for McCarthy. “We excel at complex projects and look forward to tackling this large and important project for Port Freeport.”

The scope of work includes demolition of existing concrete relieving platform, excavation, combi-wall bulkhead, new wharf, wharf piling, dredging, revetment, fenders, electrical and crane rail installation.

The new berth will be dredged to 51 feet, matching the depth of the Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project, which will handle newer, larger container vessels transiting the expanded Panama Canal and will be equipped to handle approximately 1.5 million lifts per year.

Construction is scheduled to begin this month with the new infrastructure being fully operational by August 2022.