JAXPORT, SSA Marine Sign Deal on USD 238.7 Mn Container Terminal

Florida’s Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) has reached a long-term agreement with terminal operator SSA Marine for the development and operation of a USD 238.7 million international container terminal at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal.

The agreement is for 25 years with two five-year renewal options and includes a number of improvements to the Blount Island terminal.

The facility, SSA Jacksonville International Gateway Terminal, is an expansion of SSA Marine’s current leasehold at Blount Island. It will offer deepwater berthing space to accommodate the larger containerships calling JAXPORT from Asia more fully loaded.

As informed, SSA Marine will expand to approximately 80 acres of terminal operating space, with the option to grow up to 120 acres as space becomes available.

The facility will offer a vessel turning basin and deepwater access of 47 feet upon completion of the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening project, which is ahead of schedule and expected to be complete in 2023.

The terminal operator will contribute up to USD 129.7 million for the use of the terminal and facility upgrades, including the addition of three new 100-gauge container cranes. JAXPORT will complete USD 109 million in berth rehabilitation and upgrades which are already underway and will allow the terminal to simultaneously accommodate two post-Panamax vessels.

“The significant investments SSA Marine has committed to this facility, accompanied by their unparalleled industry knowledge and experience, allows us to take full advantage of all of the opportunities the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening project creates for our port and our region,” Eric Green, JAXPORT CEO, commented.

“The port’s strong leadership team and strategic location in the growing southeast U.S. market—combined with the efficiencies created by a deeper harbor— give us the tools we need to operate a world-class container terminal and further position Jacksonville as a gateway for global trade,” Mark Knudsen, SSA Conventional President, said.

JAXPORT is a full-service, international trade seaport at the crossroads of the nation’s rail and highway network in Northeast Florida. The port owns, maintains and markets three cargo terminals, an intermodal container transfer terminal and a passenger cruise terminal along the St. Johns River.

SSA Marine has activities at more than 250 terminal facilities and rail operations in the U.S., Canada, Latin and South America, Asia, New Zealand and South Africa.