JAXPORT Growth Outlook Includes Business Diversification, New Trade Lane Connectivity

Feb. 6, 2025 - During today’s State of the Port address, Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) Chief Executive Officer Eric Green and Chief Commercial Officer Robert Peek discussed how the port’s business diversification, increased global connectivity, and ongoing terminal upgrades position the port for growth and success in 2025 and beyond. 

Cargo activity through Jacksonville’s seaport supported more than 228,100 jobs in Florida and $44 billion in annual economic output for the region and state in 2024, according to newly released data.

Hosted by the Propeller Club of the United States – Port of Jacksonville, State of the Port provides an update on JAXPORT initiatives and supply chain trends impacting Northeast Florida’s maritime industry to a crowd of approximately 600 transportation and logistics professionals.

“From the addition of new trade lanes to the completion of major growth projects, 2025 is shaping up to be a transformational year for JAXPORT,” said JAXPORT Chair Wendy Hamilton. “CEO Green has a clear vision for the continued growth and development of JAXPORT—strengthening the supply chain and creating an environment where the port’s customers and partners can thrive.”

As new global ocean carrier alliances begin this month, JAXPORT is maintaining and growing its container services through strategic partnerships with the world’s top ocean carriers. These new and modified service routes provide JAXPORT with access to more global markets than ever before, expanding the port’s connectivity to new and emerging markets.

“Our mission is to be an economic engine and job creator for the community,” said CEO Eric Green. “We achieve this through strategic growth across our lines of business and major initiatives to expand our capabilities across our key cargo types – containers, autos and breakbulk. Public and private investments in our terminals ensure JAXPORT continues to generate business growth benefitting our region and state.”

Significant investments to enhance JAXPORT’s cargo-handling capabilities that will be completed in 2025:

• SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal: The $72 million modernization project to expand the SSA Terminal will be completed this spring. The facility features 97 acres of newly paved asphalt and can accommodate about 650,000 TEUs annually, bringing JAXPORT’s total TEU capacity to approximately 2 million TEUs annually, nearly double its current throughput.
• New Cranes: JAXPORT is investing more than $70 million to maintain and upgrade its container crane fleet, including three new cranes that will arrive later this year. The three new Liebherr cranes will serve the Puerto Rico trade as well as international volumes.
• Southeast Toyota Distributors: Construction of a new 340,000-square-foot state-of-the-art auto processing facility at Blount Island will be completed this summer. The new facility, funded with $120 million in private investment, enables Southeast Toyota Distributors to process more vehicles annually through Jacksonville and supports more than 800 jobs.
• Auto berth upgrade: Last month, JAXPORT completed the expansion of Vehicle Berth 22 at Blount Island to accommodate larger ships calling the terminal more efficiently.

Other initiatives include:

• Increasing the air draft: JAXPORT is working with local electric provider JEA on a project to raise the overhead powerlines near Blount Island to an operational clearance of 205 feet. Increasing the air draft allows more ships to utilize Jacksonville’s 47-foot deepwater shipping channel and is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026.
• Breakbulk: Terminal operator Enstructure will expand its current operations at the Talleyrand terminal once Southeast Toyota relocates to Blount Island. The project includes the addition of a 250,000 square foot warehouse, which will increase the port’s on-terminal covered capacity to handle non-containerized cargo such as forest products by 20 percent.
• Autos: A $54 million project to build a new vehicle berth 20 at Blount Island will be completed in 2027.

The advantages driving growth on the cargo side, anchored by Jacksonville’s location in the heart of the fast-growing Southeast U.S., is also driving demand for the port’s cruise business. Last year, Carnival marked 20 years of cruising from JAXPORT and 206,000 passengers set sail, a new port record. This fall, JAXPORT will welcome Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Gem, marking the first time an NCL ship has been homeported in Jacksonville.

Located in the Southeastern U.S. at the crossroads of the nation’s rail and highway network, JAXPORT is a global gateway to Florida, the nation’s third-largest state. Jacksonville is Florida’s largest container port and one of the nation’s largest ports for vehicle handling and non-containerized (breakbulk) cargo. The port offers fast and efficient vessel operations with a 47-foot deepwater shipping channel, two-way ship traffic, and same-day access to nearly 100 million U.S. consumers.

SOURCE: JAXPORT