ThePort of Jacksonville(JAXPORT) is an international tradeporton theSt. Johns RiverinJacksonville,Florida.JAXPORT is the largest port by volume in Florida, and the 14th largest container port in the United States.[3]It carries about 18 million short tons of cargo each year[4]and has an annual economic impact of over $31 billion, including 138,500 jobs across the state of Florida related to cargo moving through the port.[5]It handled 1,338,000 containers, and is the second largest handler of vehicles in the United States with 696,500 in 2019.[6]
| Port of Jacksonville | |
|---|---|
 The port of Jacksonville | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Coordinates | 30°22′51″N81°33′52″W/ 30.38083°N 81.56444°W |
| UN/LOCODE | USJAX[1] |
| Details | |
| Operated by | Jacksonville Port Authority |
| Type ofharbour | river natural |
| No.ofberths | 13[2] |
| Draft depth | max 47 feet[2] |
| Air draft | 175 feet (for terminals located upstream of theDames Point Bridge) |
| Statistics | |
| Vesselarrivals | 1,567 |
| Annual cargotonnage | 10,032,869 |
| Passengertraffic | 90,241 |
| Annualrevenue | $61.2 million |
| Website *Official website | |
History
editEnglish sailors traded ammunition and guns to the French fromFort Carolinefor food and a boat in 1565, the first international commerce recorded in the New World. Because of this, the port uses the phrase,Jacksonville: America's First Port.After Cowford was renamed Jacksonville, a petition dated June 15, 1822, was sent toSecretary of StateJohn Quincy Adams,asking him to designate the city as aport of entryfor the United States.[7]
Jacksonville'sSt. Johns Riveris one of the best natural seaports in the Southeast, and shipping has always been an important component of the local economy. Before Florida became a state in 1845, cotton and timber were traded and shipped at the port. TheGreat Fire of 1901destroyed the port facilities as well as most of the city. Docks and wharfs were among the first items rebuilt by businesses. In 1907, the federal government helped pay for main channel in the river to be dredged to a depth of 24 feet (7.3 m). The city of Jacksonville began to exert control over the 160-acre (0.65 km2) port at Talleyrand in 1912 and a $1.5 million bond referendum passed in 1913 to pay for construction of municipal docking facilities. TheU.S. Army Corps of Engineersperformed the harbor dredging in 1916, 1952, 1978 and 2003, when the channel was deepened to 30 feet (9.1 m), 34 feet (10 m), 38 feet (12 m) and 41 feet (12 m), respectively.
TheUnited States Navyhad no base at the Port of Jacksonville until shortly beforeWorld War IIwhen two facilities were constructed.[8]Today, theNaval Station Mayport,Naval Air Station Jacksonville,Blount Island Command(Marines) and nearbyNaval Submarine Base Kings Bayform the third largest military presence in the United States.[9]
Following the war, little or no money was spent on thepublicdocks at the port, and they deteriorated until many were unusable. Because of this, Jacksonville missed out on much of the shipping boom of thePost-World War II economic expansion.[7]
In addition to the military bases at the port, more than 20 maritime facilities in Jacksonville's harbor are privately owned and operated, includingdrydocksand petroleum terminals.
Port Authority
editTheJacksonville Port Authority(JPA) was created in 1963 by a special act of the Florida Legislature.[10] The authority, also known as "Jaxport" ', is the independent government agency that owns, operates and controls much of Jacksonville’s Seaport System, including (but not limited to) the following: docks and wharfs, cranes, a passenger cruise terminal, warehouses, paved open storage areas, and road connections to the public highway system. Jaxport maintains these facilities and manages their overall use. Private companies pay lease and rental fees to Jaxport in order to operate from the seaport. This revenue funds the day-to-day operations so that public tax dollars are not required. Jaxport does not operate or manage private boat marinas, water taxis or bridges.
The port has always taken security seriously; after theSeptember 11 attacks,thwarting terrorism became the focus. Security guards are on constant patrol, supported by theSeaport Security Unit,made up of 11 officers and 2 sergeants on contract from theJacksonville Sheriff's Office.[11]Department of Homeland Securityalso has a presence withUnited States Customs ServiceandUnited States Border Patrolagents. The port has three areas of activity: cargo, cruises and ferry service.
Cargo
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The port has three separate cargo facilities: Blount Island, Talleyrand and Dames Point.
Blount Island
editBlount Islandlies 9 nautical miles (17 km) from theAtlantic Oceanand is one of the largest vehicle import/export centers in the United States.[12] TheUnited States Marine Corpsuses 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) on the east side of the island for itsMaritime Prepositioning Forceoperations, and the publicBlount Island Marine Terminal,which is Jaxport's largest container facility, occupies 754 acres (3.05 km2) on the west half of the island.[13]Blount Island can also processRo/Ro,heavy lift,breakbulk and liquid bulk cargoes on 6,600 feet (2,000 m) of deep water (41 feet (12 m)) berths.[12]
Talleyrand
editThe oldest marine facility at Jaxport is theTalleyrand Marine Terminal,located 21 nautical miles (39 km) from the Atlantic. The 173-acre (0.70 km2) facility handles automobiles (import), liquidbulk commodities,break bulk cargoandcontainerized cargo.With six container cranes, on-dock rail service and a 160,000 sq ft (15,000 m2) transit shed, the terminal can process frozen, refrigerated or ambient cargo on 4,780 feet (1,460 m) of deepwater (38 feet (12 m)) berthing space. A warehouse of 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) is available to store many types of cargoes.[14]
Dames Point
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The newest marine facility at Jaxport is the nearly 600-acre (2.4 km2)Dames Point Marine Terminal.[7]Situated one mile (1.6 km) upstream from Blount Island on the main shipping channel and just west of theDames Point Bridge,this terminal presently has only one tenant: the 158-acre (0.64 km2) TraPac Container Terminal used byMitsui O.S.K. Lines.Space is available to store bulk aggregate material.Hanjin Shippinghas reserved 90 acres (360,000 m2) for their container terminal, which is projected to open during 2013.[15]
The Jaxport "temporary" cruise facility is located at the northwest corner of Dames Point. There is a plan to remove this structure and construct a permanent facility elsewhere when economic conditions improve.[16]
Cruises
editA "temporary"Jaxport Cruise Terminalwas constructed in six months during 2003 near theDames Point Bridge.The cruise facility contains 63,000 sq ft (5,900 m2); the baggage handling area is 28,000 sq ft (2,600 m2); and a passenger embarkation section has 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2). Vehicle access to the site is via Hecksher Drive and there is paved parking for over 800 cars.[17]
Celebrity Cruisesbegan regular service from Jacksonville on October 27, 2003 on theMV Zenith.[7]Celebrity discontinued their service from Jacksonville when the Zenith was retired from their fleet in 2007.
The shipCarnival Miraclewas christened at the Port of Jacksonville on February 27, 2004, beginning Jacksonville service byCarnival Cruise Lines.[18]The Carnival Miracle was replaced by Carnival Cruise Lines'Jubilee,which sailed between Jaxport and The Bahamas from May 2004 through August 2004. Carnival established year-round cruise service from Jacksonville aboard theCelebrationon October 12, 2004.[19]The Celebration continued to sail between Jaxport and The Bahamas through April 2008. After a four-month hiatus in service, Carnival restarted Jacksonville-Bahamas cruise service aboard theCarnival Fascination,[20]which provided service from Jacksonville until April 2016, being replaced withCarnival Elation.[21][22]As of 2019, cruises from Jacksonville visit theBahamasandEastern Caribbeanonboard theCarnival Ecstasy.[23]
During theCOVID-19 pandemicall cruises were suspended. The first post-pandemic cruise was theAmerican Queen Voyagesship,Ocean Voyagerwhich departed February 21, 2022 for a 12-day cruise to destinations along the Atlantic coast.[24]TheCarnival Spiritdeparted on March 7, 2022 for a 5-day Bahamas trip.[25]
Five cruise ships (including the Carnival Miracle) were chartered to serve as floating hotels during the week precedingSuper Bowl XXXIXin February 2005. Four of the vessels docked at Jaxport terminals, and they provided over 3,500 rooms plus restaurants and night clubs for fans.[26]
TheJacksonville Port Authorityhad plans to relocate the cruise terminal. In 2008, an 8-acre (32,000 m2) parcel was purchased in the small fishing village of Mayport as the site of a permanent, $60 million facility. The economic crisis delayed the project, and opposition from local residents was vehement; a lawsuit seeking an injunction was filed against the JPA. In May 2010, the authority announced that they were starting over and reviewing all possible locations for the cruise terminal.[16]
Ferry service
editThe Saint Johns River Ferry (also known as the Mayport Ferry) crosses theSt. Johns River,connectingMayporttoFort George Island.The 0.9-mile (1.4 km) crossing is part ofState Road A1Aand departs every half-hour. The ferry has been operating since 1948 and is the last active ferry in Florida.[27]
TheFlorida Department of Transportation,which had always operated the service, had the Mayport Ferry line item budget vetoed by GovernorCharlie Cristfor 2007-2008.[28]Rather than terminate the service, the City of Jacksonville assumed responsibility, but lost over $1 million in one year. MayorJohn Peytonannounced that there was no money available in the next budget. The Jacksonville Port Authority took over operation of the ferry in 2007 and raised the standard fare from $3.25 to $5.00, but still lost half a million dollars each year. However, they use port revenue, not tax money, to underwrite the operation.[29] After taking over, the JPA decided to cut costs and sell theBlackbeard,the backup vessel built in 1956. That meant that whenever theJean Ribaulthad problems, ferry service would be suspended. On February 5, 2009 the ferry was put into dry dock for routine maintenance, but hull corrosion required an extra week of repairs, and there was no service for a month.[30]
See also
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References
edit- ^"Unlocode (US) - United States".service.unece.org.Retrieved23 September2020.
- ^ab"Port of Jacksonville technical specifications".www.jaxport.com.Jaxport.Retrieved20 October2020.
- ^"BTS Port Performance Freight Statistics Program".Bureau of Transportation Statistics.Bureau of Trade Statistics.RetrievedOctober 20,2020.
- ^"BTS Port Performance Freight Statistics Program".Bureau of Transportation Statistics.Bureau of Transportation Statistics.RetrievedOctober 20,2020.
- ^"Jaxport Annual Report 2018/2019"(PDF).2019. p. 5.
- ^"Jaxport Annual Report 2018/2019"(PDF).2019. p. 5.
- ^abcd"Jacksonville: America's First Port"Archived2009-05-05 at theWayback MachineJaxport
- ^"A Rich & Vibrant History"City of Jacksonville, About Jacksonville
- ^"Port of Jacksonville"World Port Source, Port Detail
- ^"Jacksonville: America's First Port"Jaxport, History
- ^"Seaport Security Unit"City of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Sheriffs Office
- ^ab"Blount Island"Archived2010-11-26 at theWayback MachineJacksonville Port Authority, Seaports
- ^Vergun, David:"Super Bowl Ambitions JaxPort a Major Player in the South"Navy League of the United States, May 2002
- ^"Talleyrand Marine Terminal"Archived2004-07-07 at theWayback MachineJaxport
- ^Dames Point Marine Terminal "Jaxport
- ^abDixon, Drew:"Jacksonville Port Authority looking at 20 sites for possible cruise ship terminal"Florida Times-Union, May 20, 2010
- ^"Cruise Terminal"Archived2007-02-21 at theWayback MachineJacksonville Port Authority, Cruise Terminal
- ^"'Miracle,' Passengers Leave On Maiden Voyage"Archived2011-05-24 at theWayback MachineNews4Jax, February 27, 2004.
- ^"Carnival Cruise Lines to send refurbished ship to port"Florida Times-Union, December 18, 2003.
- ^"Carnival back with bigger, better ship, the Fascination"Florida Times-Union, September 19, 2008
- ^"Jaxpport to welcome new Carnival cruise ship in Spring 2016".www.jaxport.com.2015-03-02.Retrieved2020-04-17.
- ^"Carnival Fascination itinerary"Archived2010-11-26 at theWayback MachineJacksonville Port Authority
- ^Cruises from Jacksonville FLCarnival Cruiseline. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^Szaroleta, Tom (February 22, 2022)."Cruising returns to Jacksonville terminal with American Queen's 202-passenger Ocean Voyager".Florida Times-Union.Retrieved25 May2022.
- ^Mansfield, Alexandria (March 3, 2022)."Carnival resumes sailing from Jacksonville on Monday with cruise to The Bahamas".Florida Times-Union.Retrieved25 May2022.
- ^"Super Bowl XXXIX cruise ships"Florida Times-Union, January 2005
- ^"St. Johns Ferry"Yahoo travel
- ^Manwell, Frank:"Steamboat Bill, 2007"Encyclopædia Britannica, S. E. and Gulf Ports
- ^Dixon, Drew:"Mayport ferry ridership down, some worried service could go away"Florida Times-Union, July 1, 2009
- ^Dixon, Drew:"A month and $940,000 later, Mayport ferry back in service"Florida Times-Union, March 7, 2009
External links
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