Global shipping line SeaLead brings first U.S. East Coast container service to JAXPORT

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces that SeaLead shipping has selected JAXPORT as a port of call on its first US East Coast service. The rotation connects Jacksonville to four locations in Asia.

Singapore-based global ocean carrier SeaLead Shipping Pte Ltd is bringing its first US East Coast container service to the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT). Jacksonville will serve as the last port of call on SeaLead’s Asia East Coast (AEC) rotation connecting Jacksonville, Fla., to four locations in Asia.

The service will call the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal every two weeks beginning with the arrival of the 6,661-TEU (container) ship Hakuna Matata on May 7, 2022.

Jacksonville’s uncongested berths and soon-to-be completed 47-foot deepening project were key factors in SeaLead’s decision to choose JAXPORT.

The port rotation is Nansha, Ningbo, and Qingdao in China; Busan, South Korea; Norfolk, VA; Newark, NJ; Charleston, SC; and Jacksonville. SSA Atlantic will provide stevedoring services at Blount Island.

“We are delighted to introduce this new service and new destinations for our customers. Port congestion has been a challenge for everyone recently and the AEC will allow us to service ports that are more efficient for our customers,” said SeaLead Managing Director Cho Kit Wei. “We are confident that the market and our partners will respond well to the service, and we look forward to developing strong partnerships on this trade lane.”

[clickToTweet tweet=”We are delighted to introduce this new service and new destinations for our customers. Port congestion has been a challenge for everyone recently and the AEC will allow us to service ports that are more efficient for our customers –Sea Lead Managing Director Cho Kit Wei” quote=”We are delighted to introduce this new service and new destinations for our customers. Port congestion has been a challenge for everyone recently and the AEC will allow us to service ports that are more efficient for our customers
– SeaLead Managing Director Cho Kit Wei”]

SeaLead currently serves one U.S. port, Long Beach, through a trans-Pacific service launched in June 2021.

Located in the heart of the Southeast US, Jacksonville offers same-day access to more than 98 million US consumers. JAXPORT offers shippers a number of efficiencies including two-way river traffic with no delays at the sea buoy and truck turn times among the lowest in the South Atlantic.

“This new service, and the jobs and economic impact it brings to Jacksonville, is a direct result of the dedication and foresight of our elected officials who have invested in a deeper channel and infrastructure upgrades to enable JAXPORT to serve a wider variety of vessels,” said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green. “We are grateful to SeaLead for choosing Jacksonville as a port of call on their first US East Coast service and look forward to putting our city’s efficiencies and strong transportation network to work for their customers throughout the Southeast.”

To complement the 47-foot channel, more than $200 million in enhancements are currently underway to modernize Blount Island. Berth enhancements will be complete this summer to enable the facility to simultaneously accommodate two post-Panamax vessels. By the end of 2022, three new eco-friendly 100-gauge container cranes will arrive as SSA completes construction of the first 31 in a total of 80 acres of phased yard improvements to enable the facility to accommodate more containers.

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About SeaLead Shipping

SeaLead Shipping Pte Ltd is a privately-owned global shipping line founded in 2017 and headquartered in Singapore. SeaLead has a presence in 18 countries and is focused on enabling and simplifying international trade among major economies and between emerging markets.

For more information, please contact SeaLead media contact Toby Edwards at toby@sea-lead.com or visit sea-lead.com.

About JAXPORT

Located in the Southeastern U.S. at the crossroads of the nation’s rail and highway network, JAXPORT is a global gateway to Florida, the nation’s third-largest state. JAXPORT is Florida’s largest container port and one of the nation’s largest vehicle-handling ports. Dozens of ocean carriers call at JAXPORT, offering competitive transit times to 140 ports in more than 70 countries. Port terminals are located within minutes of major interstates and offer service via 100 trucking firms and 40 daily trains.