JaxPort announced Feb. 25 that contractors completed rebuilding 700 linear feet of deepwater berthing space at Blount Island.
The project is part of $104 million in berth enhancements at the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal.
Completion of the final phase of the project, another 700 linear feet, will coincide with the completion of harbor deepening that ends at Blount Island in 2022.
When it is completed, the facility will feature two 1,200-foot-long container berths capable of simultaneously accommodating two post-Panamax cargo vessels. The berths can accommodate 10 electric 100-gauge container cranes, including three now in use.
Post-Panamax ships are large vessels that can pass through the enlarged Panama Canal.
“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,” JaxPort CEO Eric Green said in a news release.
“These projects all work together to maximize Jacksonville’s logistics advantages for our customers and bring more jobs and business to Northeast Florida,” he said.
The Jacksonville shipping channel in the St. Johns River is being deepened from 40 to 47 feet from the Atlantic Ocean to Blount Island. It is estimated to be completed in 2022. A vessel turning basin for larger vessels at Blount Island is on track for completion by the end of 2021.
The work at the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal is a public-private partnership between JaxPort and SSA Atlantic.
