Jaxport posts record January container volumes
During the 2019 State of the Port event, Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) CEO Eric Green announced that JAXPORT has achieved its best ever January container volumes, with total container movements increasing 16 percent over the same period last year. Nearly 121,400 twenty-foot equivalent units (or TEUs, the industry standard for measuring containers) moved through JAXPORT in January 2019.
The port’s Asian container volumes continue to show significant growth, up 17 percent year–to–date with nearly 164,000 TEUs moved so far in Fiscal Year 2019. JAXPORT’s fiscal year runs Oct. 1- Sept. 30. JAXPORT’s Asian trade has grown an average of 14 percent annually over the past five years.
January was also a record month for the port’s auto business. Nearly 61,500 autos moved through JAXPORT in January 2019, a double-digit increase over the previous January. JAXPORT’s auto volumes are up 7 percent year-to-date in Fiscal Year 2019.
"Our leadership team is energized by these recent successes and enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead for all of our lines of business," said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green. "Together with our partners in the maritime community, we will continue this momentum, growing our positive impact on the region's economy and further positioning JAXPORT as a port of choice in the Southeast U.S."
State of the Port is hosted by the Propeller Club of the United States - Port of Jacksonville. This year’s event featured a panel discussion of JAXPORT’s five chief executives, led by JAXPORT CEO Eric Green. Jacksonville City Council President and Senior Vice President of Business Development for JAXUSA Partnership Aaron Bowman served as the program’s moderator.
Topics of discussion included an update on the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening project, scheduled to be complete in 2023 based on continued funding from all partners, as well as other major port growth projects including berth enhancements currently underway at JAXPORT's Blount Island Marine Terminal.
When combined with the containers handled through private terminals, more than 1.3 million TEUs move through the Port of Jacksonville annually, making it Florida’s largest container port complex. JAXPORT is also one of the nation’s busiest vehicle-handling ports.