Jaxport Approves New Container Terminal

The Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) Board of Directors has unanimously approved a long-term agreement with terminal operator SSA Marine for the development and operation of a new $238.7 million international container terminal at the port’s Blount Island Marine Terminal.

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

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. SSA Marine will contribute $28 million for exclusive use of Jaxport’s three 100-gauge cranes, with those funds going toward the cost of the deepening project.

The agreement is for 25 years with two five-year renewal options and includes a number of improvements to the Blount Island terminal. SSA Marine will contribute up to $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 $109 million in berth rehabilitation and upgrades which are already underway and will allow the terminal to simultaneously accommodate two post-Panamax vessels.

SSA Marine currently leases 50 acres at Blount Island. The new terminal is estimated to create or protect 3,000 jobs over the first 10 years of the contract.

Jaxport’s Asian container trade has achieved an average growth of 14 percent annually over the past five years.