JAXPORT says ship planning to unload in Jacksonville will head to a closer location

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A representative for JAXPORT sent a statement to Action News Jax that a cargo ship planning to unload in Jacksonville will head to a closer location on the northeast coast.

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On Thursday, it was reported that JAXPORT was planning to help take on some of the cargo initially bound for Baltimore that’s been prevented from docking due to the collapse of the Francis Key Bridge.

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The collapse of the bridge in Baltimore has raised concerns about supply chain impacts, considering the port handled 11.7 million tons of cargo last year alone.

However, on Friday a spokesperson for JAXPORT said it made more sense for the company transporting 1,600 vehicles destined to Jacksonville to find a port closer to its intended destination.

“The company moving the 1,600 vehicles our chairman discussed was able to find a discharge location closer to where they were trying to go, so they decided to discharge at an alternative port instead of Jacksonville.

As you can imagine, this is a fluid situation. We will continue to work with our partners to assist as needed during this time.

Because much of the displaced cargo is bound for the Northeast US, ports closer to that area are more likely to be directly impacted. We expect the amount of additional cargo/ship calls in Jacksonville to be relatively small.”

—  Spokesperson for JAXPORT

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