SSA Marine has reached the halfway point in a $72 million project to expand and modernize the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal. Located at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal, the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal project is a public-private partnership between the port and SSA Marine.

The phased construction project began in 2022, with the company recently completing four of the project’s eight phases, including installing upgraded terminal lighting and a redesigned terminal gate system, as well as paving nearly 40 acres with heavy-duty asphalt. Six new outbound truck lanes are also currently under construction and scheduled to open in February 2024, with improvements to the terminal’s six inbound lanes scheduled for completion in late 2024.

Currently, the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal features newly rebuilt berths and a 47-foot deepwater shipping channel. Upon completion in 2025, the facility’s upgraded yard will feature 97 acres of newly paved asphalt to accommodate taller stacks of loaded containers, with the capability to further expand the terminal to 120 acres as needed.

In 2025, the facility will be able to accommodate nearly 500,000 TEU annually, a 150% increase over its current throughput. The increased capacity will bring JAXPORT’s total TEU capability across all terminals to more than two million TEUs annually, approximately double its current throughput.

“SSA Marine is proud to have been a JAXPORT partner for more than 40 years,” said Lauren Offenbecher, president of SSA Marine’s conventional division. “This partnership has created tremendous opportunities for us to not only invest in the future of JAXPORT, but also to service the growing needs of our customers in the region. We’re looking forward to continuing to support JAXPORT’s growth trajectory for years to come.”

In total, nearly $140 million in improvements are currently underway to modernize the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal. In addition to the $72 million in yard improvements, the company is also investing in three new 100-foot gauge electric container cranes, one of which is in service and two of which are in the process of being commissioned. The new cranes will double the terminal’s total number of post-Panamax cranes to six. SSA Marine and JAXPORT have also received federal grant funding for the purchase of more than $31 million in new eco-friendly cargo-handling equipment, including hybrid-electric rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes and Tier 4 top pick container handlers for the terminal.

“The investments SSA Marine is making in Jacksonville allow us to build on the momentum we are experiencing and maximize the efficiencies created by our 47-foot channel,” said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green. “As cargo volumes in the Southeast US continue to grow, the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal provides a modern and efficient facility that will benefit our customers and community well into the future.”