JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the United States continues to experience supply chain issues because of international shipping and congested sports, JaxPort is taking advantage of the otherwise difficult situtation.
On Sunday a European-US contain service, Hapag-Lloyd’s Atlantic Loop 3 (AL3), made its first visit to JaxPort's TracPac Container Terminal at Dames Point.
Representatives from Jaxport welcomed the ship into Dames Point with a plaque presented to the crew of the Hudson Express, a AL3 container ship.
Because no ships were at anchorage, Hudson Express was able to begin working immediately once it arrived in Jacksonville.
Through a temporary deal between AL3 and JaxPort, an addition 8,000 containers will come to port over the next two months. The service calls for the ships are in Antwerp, Belgium, Hamburg, Germany, London, England, Charleston, South Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida and Norfolk, Virginia.
The global supply chain has faced a number of issues combining for worldwide shortages of goods ranging from common grocery store products to holiday gifts. The causes of the supply chain shortages include resource and labor shortages, COVID-19 outbreaks at distribution hubs and bottlenecking at US ports.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke in Jacksonville last month saying the Jacksonville Port Authority could play an important role in alleviating logjams at American ports.
"With the different operations that we offer, both rail and road, it really, really, really is, I think, a model for the rest of the country," DeSantis said.
Jaxport and other ports throughout the state are offering incentive packages to businesses who want to move their cargo through their facilities, DeSantis said.