JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The largest ship to ever call Jacksonville is now docked at JAXPORT. ONE STORK can carry up to 14,000 containers and floated down the St. Johns River Tuesday.
Hundreds lined the river at several viewing locations to watch the ship, which measures nearly four football fields in length.
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“I’ve been dealing with that dredge here where I launch my boat for the last three or four years — so it’s nice to see this ship come into town,” Ken Purdy, who lives in Fort Caroline, said.
The $400 million dredging project started in 2018 and was finished in May of 2022. It deepened the channel from 40 to 47 feet and allowed for ships like ONE STORK to come to Jacksonville.
The channel was originally deep enough for ships carrying nearly 12,000 containers to float down. But there’s still one thing in the way of even larger ships: power lines.
“As you saw, as this ship was transporting — it barely made it under the power lines,” Eric Green, the CEO of JAXPORT, said.
That’s the next major project in partnership with JEA. It will raise the powerlines at the Blount Island terminal from 175 feet to 205 feet high. Green said that will allow for ships big enough to hold up to 15,000 containers.
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“It’s very important. It means a lot to this community. We’re talking about jobs; we’re talking about economic impact for the region,” Green said.
ONE STORK is carrying consumer goods like electronics and furniture. It’s one of nine total ships this size that will add Jacksonville into its rotation. It will take at least 24 hours for crews to unload and then pack back up before their trip back overseas.
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