Old JAXPORT CEO and Port Tampa Bay going after container business

[thelakelander]

TAMPA | The largest port in Florida has a new name this year, and an aggressive growth plan.

Officials with the newly christened Port Tampa Bay want it to become a bigger player in the global cargo business, especially when it comes to the shipping of consumer goods. Port leaders say the coming years will be marked by expansion, infrastructure improvements and new ventures, with Polk County expected to play a role.

"We are putting ourselves — our community — in a position now to reap the rewards of a more regionalized and diversified port in the future," said Paul Anderson, chief executive of the Tampa Port Authority, during his State of the Port address in January.

"The moves we are making now — in infrastructure and capacity — will help us compete not just with ports in our region of the country but with those around the world. We will be competing on the global stage."

Port Tampa Bay is the state's largest port, by tonnage, handling some 35 million tons of cargo in fiscal year 2013. It is a major conduit for phosphate, petroleum products, building materials and cruise ship traffic, but the port is a relatively minor player in the world of container cargo — the large steel boxes used to transport goods like furniture, food and clothing.

Container shipping represents a huge opportunity for the port, Elliott says, especially because of its proximity to Polk County's massive warehousing and distribution industry. It has not gone unnoticed that Amazon chose Lakeland for one of its first two fulfillment centers in Florida, and O'Reilly Auto Parts — the nation's second largest auto parts retailer — opened a Lakeland distribution center in January.

Seffner-based Rooms To Go, which has about 2 million square feet of distribution space in Lakeland, imports up to 30,000 containers of furniture per year, but less than 10 percent of that moves through Tampa, according to President Stephen Buckley. Instead, the company spreads its business across ports in Savannah, Jacksonville, Miami, Charleston and Houston.

"We would use (Port Tampa Bay) more if they had more shipping lines coming in," Buckley said. "Obviously it would be closer for us (to bring product through Tampa into Lakeland). It would cut our costs, and the logistics are just a lot easier."

Elliott says the port also hopes to capitalize on the expansion of the Panama Canal — scheduled for completion by late 2015 — which will allow for the passage of larger cargo ships. The impact of the canal's expansion on Florida ports is still a matter of debate, but Elliott says Port Tampa Bay intends to add more cargo cranes and is working with port officials in Mobile, Ala., and Houston to market the Gulf of Mexico as a shipping destination.

"Most of the U.S. overseas trade traditionally hasn't moved through Gulf ports, it's moved by rail or truck connecting ports along the West coast and East coast," Elliott said.

"What we've done is come up with a very strategic approach to have the three ports collectively market ourselves. ... When we talk to the shipping companies, we say hey, 'You can start a service connecting China with the Gulf region through the Panama Canal, and you can do it with fewer ships and a much shorter itinerary.'"

full article: http://www.theledger.com/article/20140322/NEWS/140329777?p=1&tc=pg

[Charles Hunter]

Well, that's his job.  But they have the same problem with vertical clearance as we do - the Sunshine Skyway is also 175'.  Except theirs is at the mouth of the Bay - they will have to build port facilities west of the bridge to overcome the height problem.  And there's not much port friendly land to the west.

[thelakelander]

My guess is they see room for growth without having to overcome the bridge's height issues. They may never equal what Savannah does today, but a Jax may be doable.

[tufsu1]

They're also starting quite a fight with Port Manatee...in fact, they had a regiatered Port Manatee staff member removed from a trade show hosted by Port Tampa Bay

[fieldafm]

"What we've done is come up with a very strategic approach to have the three ports collectively market ourselves. ... When we talk to the shipping companies, we say hey, 'You can start a service connecting China with the Gulf region through the Panama Canal, and you can do it with fewer ships and a much shorter itinerary.'"

I realize that competition for dredging dollars has become fierce lately, but why isn't JaxPort doing something similar with Savannah?  Seems like there is an opportunity for short line shipping arrangements between Jax and Savannah.  Would give Savannah a strategic advantage over Charleston by giving shipping lines more options for splitting up larger boat traffic in a cost effective way, and JaxPort could get some extra container business on ships that won't have to deal with Jax's existing drafting issues.

[tufsu1]

Here's an article about the event a rep. from Port Manatee was kicked out of

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/port-tampa-bay-pines-for-latin-americas-pineapples/2171359

[mtraininjax]

I realize that competition for dredging dollars has become fierce lately, but why isn't JaxPort doing something similar with Savannah?  Seems like there is an opportunity for short line shipping arrangements between Jax and Savannah.  Would give Savannah a strategic advantage over Charleston by giving shipping lines more options for splitting up larger boat traffic in a cost effective way, and JaxPort could get some extra container business on ships that won't have to deal with Jax's existing drafting issues.

I have been lobbying for this for months! Only so many fed $$$ for dredging and it takes forever to complete, at least one or two economic cycles. So why not partner with Savannah AND Brunswick and create a Gold Coast entity that allows all 3 to grow and do well what each has in the form of the rivers.

Let Savannah kill its river with 50-foot dredging. We can become the aggregate center for them and the southeast. Not sexy like containers, but it is needed and with more fuel depots being built, can be recession proof.

[tufsu1]

why would the states of Georgia and South Carolina want to partner with each other?  And why would they be interested in teaming up with Florida?

[tufsu1]

more on the "war" between Port Manatee and Port Tampa Bay

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tampa-manatee-ports-eye-each-other-warily/2172480