News

Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT), Florida’s largest container port by volume, and the nation’s second largest vehicle-handling port set new records of their fiscal year of 2019, ending Sept. 30, 2019.

This year, 1.3 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs, the industry standard for measuring containers) representing a 5 percent increase in volume over the prior fiscal year. In addition, 10.9 million tons of total cargo were moved through JAXPORT, a 4 percent increase over 2018 which was a record year in container volumes at the time.

JAXPORT also moved nearly 700,000 total vehicles in 2019, which is the most in the port’s history. A lease extension agreement with AMPORTS, one of the largest automobile processors in North America, added 22 new acres of land and storage space at JAXPORT’s Dames Point Marine Terminal fueling the port’s vehicle processing growth. AMPORTS CEO Steve Taylor says weather and land are key factors that set JAXPORT apart from other ports.

According to Taylor, Jacksonville’s warm weather avoids any delays that salt and snow would cause a port to have, while the access to major interstates like I-95, I-10 and I-75 allow a quick ease of access to a huge population base outside the market.

JAXPORT and AMPORTS plan to develop an additional 40-45 acres of land by 2023 to accommodate the strong regional auto sales and global demand for vehicles.

Additional JAXPORT records set include:

• Dry bulk cargoes (which include non-containerized commodities such as limestone and gravel) increased 19 percent over 2018, with nearly 880,000 tons shipped;
• Breakbulk cargoes, including wood pulp, increased 7 percent with 934,600 tons moved; and
• Liquid bulk cargoes, including molasses and corn syrup, are up 4 percent with nearly 380,300 tons moved.

Announcements of the strong record-setting year on volume come following JAXPORT’s recent recognition as the top port in the nation for customer satisfaction and performance excellence by Logistics Management magazine.