JAXPORT welcomes first ZIM vessel

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The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) recently welcomed the ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (ZIM) 10,070-TEU (container) Tianjin vessel on its maiden call to the port’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. JAXPORT offers worldwide cargo service from more than 40 ocean carriers and with the addition of ZIM, one of the world’s largest container shipping lines, ten of the world’s top 11 global carriers now offer service through the port.

The new service to Jacksonville is part of ZIM’s Asia to North America offerings through an agreement with the 2M alliance. The shipping line now offers direct service from Jacksonville to Kingston, Jamaica; Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai and Ningbo in China; and Busan, South Korea.

To commemorate the occasion, JAXPORT Chief Commercial Officer Kristen DeMarco presented Tianjin Captain Sorin Becheru with a plaque during a ceremony on board the ship.

“The arrival of ZIM is a result of the successful investment of local, federal and state dollars for the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening project and other port growth projects, plus our reputation for operational excellence,” said JAXPORT’s DeMarco. “This is a monumental occasion for JAXPORT and a milestone in the overall evolution of the port. Ocean carriers are not waiting for the deepening project to be complete, they are investing in Jacksonville now and Northeast Florida’s economy will benefit.”

The deepening of Jacksonville’s shipping channel to 47 feet to accommodate even more cargo aboard the largest ships calling the U.S. East Coast is well underway. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded the contract for the second phase of the project as contractors continue to make progress on phase one.

Jacksonville is Florida’s No. 1 container port complex by volume offering worldwide cargo service aboard the world’s major shipping alliances with direct service to Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and other key markets.

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