The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) achieved a new port record on March 18, with the arrival of the ZIM vessel Cape Sounio, the largest container ship to ever call Jacksonville. The 11,000-TEU container ship is operated by ZIM on a service offered by the 2M alliance.
The ship transited the Panama Canal from Asia before reaching the US East Coast, where it loaded and offloaded cargo at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal.
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The ship’s arrival comes two weeks after JAXPORT and terminal operator SSA Atlantic signed a long-term agreement on a $238.7 million international container terminal at Blount Island. The terminal will feature a capacity of around 80 acres with the potential to grow up to 120 acres.
The Jacksonville Harbor Deepening project will offer 47 feet of deepwater access, enabling ships like Cape Sounio to call JAXPORT more fully loaded. The project is planned to be complete in 2023, and includes the addition of a vessel turning basin.
JAXPORT is also investing $109 million in berth rehabilitation and upgrades which are ongoing and will allow the terminal to accommodate two post-Panamax vessels at the same time.
JAXPORT Chief Commercial Officer Kristen DeMarco, said:
Investments like harbor deepening and our international container terminal at Blount Island ensure that JAXPORT will continue to provide efficient logistics solutions for our customers while growing our region’s economy through the jobs and economic opportunity these bigger ships bring
