Posted on August 19, 2021
The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) recorded strong container and vehicle volumes during the first three quarters of Fiscal Year 2021. During this time, JAXPORT moved more than one million containers, a 15 percent increase over the same period last year. JAXPORT’s fiscal year runs Oct. 1 – Sept. 30.
Nearly 492,000 vehicles have moved through JAXPORT so far this fiscal year, putting the port on pace to surpass the 556,000 units moved in 2020 and signaling a return to pre-pandemic vehicle levels. JAXPORT’s vehicle volumes are up 20 percent year-to-date.
As the global supply chain continues to rebound from disruptions created by the pandemic, JAXPORT offers shippers a number of efficiencies, including berth and terminal fluidity, as well as two-way channel traffic with no delays at the sea buoy.
“Jacksonville’s ease of doing business and our ability to maintain the free flow of cargo on both the waterside and landside make us an attractive option for shippers,” said CEO Eric Green. “Our customer-service oriented terminal operators, sales team, and network of service providers offer seamless transportation solutions to help customers increase their speed-to-market at a time when efficiency matters more than ever.”
Several port improvement projects will be completed by the end of 2022, including the federal project to deepen the Jacksonville shipping channel to 47 feet. The project includes construction of a new vessel turning basin that will allow larger ships to turn at Blount Island berths.
More than $100 million in berth enhancements to enable Blount Island to simultaneously accommodate two post-Panamax vessels will also be completed in coordination with the deepening project. In addition, $70 million in phased yard improvements are underway to increase the terminal’s container capacity.
“The investments that we’re making in our port ensure we will continue to meet the needs of our customers no matter what supply chain challenges the industry faces,” Green said. “Our location and facilities, along with the capabilities of our tenants and port partners, combine to make JAXPORT an ideal global gateway into the Southeast U.S., and particularly the growing Florida market.”
JAXPORT is Florida’s No. 1 container port by volume and one of the nation’s top vehicle-handling ports.
