The MOL Northern Juvenile vessel, with a capability of transporting 8,800 twenty-foot equivalent units, engraved its name into the record books by becoming the biggest container carrier to ever call on the port of Jacksonville. Before the vessel reached the United States’ east coast, it transited the Suez Canal from Asia and loaded and offloaded cargo at the TraPac Container Terminal of JAXPORT at Dames Point.
On an annual basis, Jacksonville reportedly accounts for 1 million containers moving through its public and private marine terminals. The port features the widest shipping channel there is in the Southeast United States – two ships are able to easily pass at the same time, and it also provides cargo services globally to over 40 ocean carriers, which includes direct services with Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, South America and other major markets around the world.
Florida has become the third most populous state in the country, and given this fact it is worth noting that over 60 million of the United States’ consumers are actually pretty close to Jacksonville’s port (merely a one-day truck drive). JAXPORT terminals are serviced via the use of three U.S. interstates – the three of them being: l-10, I-75 and I-95. The city also boasts 36 daily train departures through three different railroads: Florida East Coast, CSX and Norfolk Southern. Given the equal balance of the port when regarding imports and exports it is only natural for backhaul opportunities to arise as well as save some money and maximize transportation-related costs.
JAXPORT has made investments in a total of $600 milion in some recent projects revolving around the aspects of infrastructure and equipment – from cranes all the way down to docks and rail. It has also initiated a new project aimed at deepening the federal shipping channel.