Jacksonville Port Authority raises the bar

Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) contractors have completed the latest phase in a total of $104 million in berth enhancements at the existing SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal at Blount Island.

This work added an additional 700 linear feet of newly rebuilt deepwater berthing space.

The final phase of the project, another 700 linear feet, is anticipated to be finished by the end of 2021.

The SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal is a public-private partnership between JAXPORT and SSA Atlantic. Upon completion of the berth enhancements later this year, the facility will feature two newly reconstructed 1,200-foot-long container berths capable of simultaneously accommodating two post-Panamax vessels.

The berths are electrified to handle a total of six state-of-the-art environmentally friendly electric-powered 100-gauge container cranes, including three currently in use.

“From berth enhancements that will support more environmentally-friendly cranes to terminal improvements and a deeper harbor, 2021 will be a year of significant progress for many of our major growth projects,” said JAXPORT CEO, Eric Green.

“These projects all work together to maximize Jacksonville’s logistics advantages for our customers and bring more jobs and business to Northeast Florida.”

The federal project to deepen the Jacksonville shipping channel to a depth of 47 from its current depth of 40 feet is fully funded through Blount Island, with anticipated completion in 2022, three years ahead of its original schedule.

A vessel turning basin that will allow larger vessels to turn at Blount Island berths is on track to be completed by the end of 2021.