Τhe completion of the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project through JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal (US) is now a fact.
The project deepened 17.7 km of the federal shipping channel to a depth of 14.3 m from its previous depth of 12.1 m.
Larger ships can now call Blount Island and at the same time, ships that could already go to Jacksonville due to their size can now carry more cargo on board. In parallel, the project includes a new rotation basin that allows larger ships to turn around at Blount Island berths.
“When JAXPORT began this deepening journey nearly two decades ago, the goal was to build the port of the future,” said JAXPORT board chair, Wendy Hamilton, who added, “With today’s completion of deepening through Blount Island—the future is here, and JAXPORT is equipped to meet the needs of the nation’s supply chain for generations to come.”
Along with the deepening project, JAXPORT completed a more than US$100 million investment cycle in berth improvements to allow the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal (JCT) at Blount Island to simultaneously accommodate two post-Panamax container ships.
In addition, in early 2023, terminal operator SSA Atlantic will welcome three new environmentally friendly 100-gauge container cranes, bringing the JCT’s total to six.
It is important to note that the deepening through Blount Island was completed three years earlier than the initial schedule of the project. The total funding to date is US$420 million, which has been provided by both private and public sectors.
In addition to the deepening, berth improvements and new cranes, there is another ongoing investment of more than US$70 million, which is expected to expand the container capacity of the SSA JCT.
