Record-Setting Year for JAXPORT Container Cargo Business

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JAXPORT moved a record 968,279 twenty-foot equivalent units (or TEUs, the industry standard for measuring containers) during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2016. The previous JAXPORT record was 936,972 TEUs set in 2014.

The Asian container trade continues to be the fastest growing segment of JAXPORT’s container cargo business, achieving 19 percent growth in FY16 with 336,791 containers moved compared to 283,164 the previous year. The growth of existing and new services calling on JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal, including the recently added 2M Alliance (Maersk Line/Mediterranean Shipping Co., the two largest container carriers in the world) contributed to this growth. The Asian sector has grown steadily since JAXPORT first entered the trade lane in 2009, now accounting for 35 percent of JAXPORT’s total cargo container business in 2016.

When combined with the containers moving through its private terminals, the port of Jacksonville moves more than 1.2 million containers annually, making it the largest port complex in Florida.

JAXPORT also recorded double digit growth in automobile imports in 2016, moving 467,898 imported vehicles, up 19 percent over last year. Overall, vehicle volumes remained steady with more than 636,000 total units moved, maintaining JAXPORT’s ranking as one of the nation’s busiest ports for total vehicle handling.

Other 2016 highlights include:

• Breakbulk cargoes (non-containerized cargo such as fertilizer, metals, forest products and perishables) increased 22 percent over the previous year, with nearly 888,000 tons shipped. A large portion of the growth is due to paper imports from Finland and wood pulp imports from Brazil.
• Puerto Rican container business grew nearly 7 percent over the prior year.
• JAXPORT achieved its 16th consecutive year of operating revenue growth, earning $59.7 million, up 6 percent over 2015.

JAXPORT is committed to the ongoing enhancement of port facilities with more than $600 million invested in major growth projects designed to best serve global cargo customers, increase efficiency and contribute to the economic vitality of Northeast Florida.

These include:

• The federal project to deepen Jacksonville’s shipping channel to 47 feet to accommodate today’s larger ships and continue the growth of the region’s Asian container trade
•  JAXPORT’s new on-dock rail facility
• Three new 100-gauge container cranes
• Expansion of vehicle processing
• Ongoing upgrades to terminal berths, docks and rail

Learn more about JAXPORT’s cargo business at JAXPORT.com/cargo.