JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) is getting ready for more growth. More cargo will be coming to Blount Island sooner than expected. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL) will bring its first ship to the terminal next month, six months earlier than expected.
It will bring a ship a week from Asia to the First Coast. The ship will pull into TraPac, Inc.'s new 158-acre terminal. Officials broke ground on the terminal last year. It's not set to open until January 2009. But leaders at JAXPORT believe the early arrival with help them all get ready for increased cargo and traffic at Blount Island.
An official with JAXPORT told First Coast News this is great news. It means more business and more jobs to the area. With the new terminal, it's expected there will be 1,600 new jobs and possibly almost 5,000 spin-off jobs. This is a big economic impact for the area. Jacksonville will be MOL's first port stop in the U.S. The cargo route will start in Ningbo and will also make stops in Savannah, New York and Norfolk. It will be a 55 day round trip.
JAXPORT is quickly becoming a major focus of international trade. There are nearly fifty major distribution center within miles of JAXPORT. There are also 17,000 acres of available building and expansion capacity.
MOL's first regularly ship is scheduled to arrive July 7th. MOL operates one of the largest networks of liner and logistics services around the world. It's also one of the world's largest multi-modal shipping companies.
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