The art and science of handling breakbulk

5 MIN READ

Written by: Marcia Pledger

JAXPORT is a national leader in the movement of non-containerized cargo

Supply chain directors looking for versatile logistics partners should know that JAXPORT specializes in handling and storing breakbulk, which is cargo traditionally shipped outside of a container. This type of cargo includes products like paper, food, and heavy machinery.

JAXPORT’s worldwide cargo service, including direct connections to 140 ports in 70 countries, enables these items to regularly cross the docks at the Talleyrand and Blount Island terminals. Terminal operators Enstructure and SSA Marine specialize in all aspects of handling breakbulk cargo, including storage when needed. About 90 percent of the breakbulk that moves through JAXPORT is temporarily stored in one of the facilities that make up the port’s combined 1 million square feet of on-dock warehousing before being shipped out by truck and rail.

Rick Schiappacasse, Director of Cargo Development at JAXPORT, is responsible for attracting new business and strengthening relationships in the breakbulk and bulk (aggregate products like crushed limestone) cargo sectors, especially to and from Latin America.

“When you walk into a big box store, many of the items you see on the store shelves arrived there via a container ship. What many people may not realize is that there is a large volume of cargo that is critical to many industries that is shipped outside of a container by way of breakbulk,” Schiappacasse said.

Schiappacasse joined JAXPORT in 2013 with nearly 45 years of industry experience. He said JAXPORT’s biggest strengths are its location and efficiencies.  

“We have an excellent port facility with no vessel congestion,” he said. “We also have a great highway system, going west to California and to the north and south, and fast reach to all Southeast distribution.”

In addition to ocean carrier services, outstanding intermodal connections, and warehousing, JAXPORT’s terminal operators’ experience and skilled labor make Jacksonville especially prime for handling breakbulk.

Each shipment presents unique needs and timeframes. For example, machinery like transformers and generators are 15 to 20 feet high and can weigh as much as 30,000 to 70,000 pounds each. Cargo of this size needs a berth that can handle the load. The heavy-lift cargo berth at the Blount Island Marine Terminal ranks as one of the nation’s highest weight-bearing capacity docks, offering up to 2,000 pounds per square foot of load capacity.

Additionally, forest products such as paper and pulp ship as breakbulk. Paper imported from Finland to make magazines comes as massive cylinder-shaped rolls. Stretched end-to-end, the paper inside these rolls can span up to 7 miles long! Pulp from Brazil is brought in as bales bundled together and is used to make tissues and paper towels. Skills and experience are needed to move this cargo with care.

From bags of coffee to machinery and pallets of frozen chicken, JAXPORT and its terminal operators are well-positioned to move breakbulk cargo of all shapes and sizes.

Enstructure

Enstructure operates the largest marine terminal network on the East Coast dedicated to bulk and breakbulk cargo. The business has a network of 21 terminals strategically located near major population hubs along the East Coast, Gulf Coast and the inland river systems of the United States. Enstructure operates at JAXPORT terminals under the brands Portus and Seaonus.

Scott MacGregor, Vice President of Operations for Portus/Seaonus, said their focus is terminal operations and ensuring customers’ trucking support and storage for a wide variety of cargoes.  

“When customers have a strategic need, it’s nice to be with a company that’s focused on port operations,” he said. When the Baltimore bridge fell around 1 a.m., the company started receiving calls at 4 a.m., asking for support. “Our trucks immediately started loading equipment from our Southeast terminals, to support cargo diversions to the Northeast terminals. Many companies were grateful.”

About 85 percent of the company’s business at JAXPORT is breakbulk at the Talleyrand Marine Terminal. The biggest commodities are paper products from Finland and Sweden and pulp from Brazil and Finland.

MacGregor said what he appreciates most about JAXPORT is that they can handle so much variety.

“There aren’t many port authorities with more diverse terminals than Jacksonville,” he said. “While they have a strong partnership with Puerto Rico, they’re expanding globally.”

About a year from now, Enstructure plans to expand onto the property currently occupied by Southeast Toyota Distributors. Enstructure intends to develop at least 200,000 square feet of new on-terminal warehousing, increasing JAXPORT’s on-terminal covered capacity to handle non-containerized cargo, such as forest products, by 20 percent.

“JAXPORT is an incredible partner. We appreciate their willingness to collaborate in meeting the needs of all their customers.” MacGregor said.

SSA Marine

With marine terminal and rail yard operations in more than 250 strategic locations around the world, SSA Marine is in the business of loading and unloading ships. In Jacksonville, the global company also handles containers, automobiles, military cargo, and bulldozers, as well as stevedoring for the cruise terminal.

On SSA Marine’s 100 acres at the Blount Island Terminal, breakbulk cargo is a part of its operations.

Jason Hodge, SSA Marine’s Marketing and Contracts Manager in Jacksonville, said the company is thriving because of its cargo expertise. While SSA has 65 employees in Jacksonville, they sometimes add as many as 500 union employees on a busy day. Skilled labor teams are an asset to port operations because they are highly specialized at operating different types of machinery.

“That’s one of the things that is very unique about SSA Marine. Our skilled superintendents know what they’re picking up – calculating weights for using proper gear to make sure you’re safely lifting cargo,” Hodge said. “You can’t pick up 10,000 pounds with a shoestring. That’s why they’re specialists.”

Cargo coming to Jacksonville on breakbulk vessels originates from all over the world. For example, a recent shipment from Korea included more than 200 pieces of industrial fabrication equipment destined for a construction project in Georgia. The customer is building a plant with machinery unloaded from the vessels, including parts, to build an assembly line.

“We take it off a ship and put it on trucks, and it’s assembled at the plant,” he said.

Hodge said many terminals at other ports lack available space, but Jacksonville offers waterfront acreage. That’s key to avoiding additional expenses.

“Ships don’t have to anchor up and wait to get into Jacksonville,” Hodge said. “Since day one we have enjoyed a great partnership with JAXPORT. Jacksonville is logistically in a really good location. It’s an amazing gateway for the movement of breakbulk and project cargo.”