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Why is the traffic is moving our way? Would you unload your new cars into this photo scene? Someone posted that we haven't posted any port news in a good while. It's true that cardboard, rubber tires, autos, coal etc... take a back seat to passengers in our transportation focus. Remember just a couple of decades ago, with the vanishing passenger trains, everyone "KNEW" that the whole railroad industry was dead.
We tend to focus on people and sometimes miss seeing the money because of all the cargo masts that stand in our way. This little article is one of more the a dozen I have seen in the past month on our port. One of the most exciting was from MILWAUKEE, which is convinced we are going to be #1 in the Atlantic. If I find the darn thing again, I'll post it too. Meanwhile, no small part of this thought is because of another DAMES POINT bridge. Only this one is far worse. The Verrazano Narrows Bridge will not clear the new Post Panamax super ships, hell, it only clears the new QMII by 5' at low tide! Sooo since it covers the mouth of a huge chunk of New York Harbour, and since the harbour can't be dredged... (the bottom is solid granite), we stand in a position unlike anyone else. Remember Florida and New York are where the people live, people buy products, and products need to move cheaply and quickly. Savannah, and Charleston don't have that advantage, and Tampa or Miami don't have the transportation lanes. QuoteFriday, October 31, 2008
Jaxport sets record for vehicle import/exportJacksonville Business Journal
The Jacksonville Port Authority’s tenants and customers handled a record amount of auto, truck and other vehicle imports and exports in fiscal year 2008, which ended Sept. 30.
Tenants and customers handled about 656,800 vehicles in fiscal 2008, which is about a 7 percent increase from fiscal 2007. The last time Jaxport broke its record was in 2002, when it handled about 615,000 vehicles.
Jaxport follows the Port of New York/New Jersey as the second-busiest vehicle-handling port on the East Coast.
“Our success is due to our outstanding auto processors and manufacturers, ocean carriers, experienced labor force and the exceptional facilities available here in Jacksonville,†said Jaxport Executive Director Rick Ferrin.
The vehicles are processed by the following tenants: Amports, WWL Vehicle Services and Southeast Toyota Distributors Inc. They handle makes by Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors Corp.
Vehicles are exported to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America and Puerto Rico, and they’re imported from Korea, Japan, Mexico and Germany, and then delivered to dealerships throughout the Southeast.
Before being exported or sent out to U.S. dealerships, vehicles are cleaned, inspected and equipped with various equipment, such as luggage racks, sound systems, sunroofs, air conditioning, specialty wheels and leather interiors. The exporting and importing vehicles through the port creates thousands of job and contributes to the port’s nearly $3 billion annual economic on Northeast Florida.
Excellent news! Bring in the jobs and money.
Ock, how much suitable land do you see available east of the Dames Pint for expanded port facilities?
Fanning Island and Little Marsh Islands, the Clapboard Creek and Sisters Creek areas, are not beyond a complete redevelopment if the big bucks start to roll out. The current Hecksher Drive bridges would either go high rise, or retreat along the edge of the preserve at the far north edge of the properties.
On the other side, West of the bridge, we can continue to expand all the way to US-1 if needs be via the Trout River, as well as tons of space along the various rivers and creeks. All of this would equate to some turning basins being built, some mass dredging projects, but when cold $$ meets homeowners or enviromental challenges... for better or worse, money will win. For this reason, I don't buy into the argument that "we are out of space". NOT EVEN CLOSE. Looking at what's been done around the world for these big boys, it wouldn't surprise me to see signs go up for "THE PORT TERMINAL AT IMESON".
Our bigger challenge is getting them to make sure all 3 railroads have access to ALL OF THE PORT.
OCKLAWAHA
This is great news. I think the St. Johns River, with the port and the cruise industry will become the major economic engine that drives our city for many years to come.
Great observation Gatorshane, frankly it's already the largest employer by far... People will argue with me that the NAVY is. Nope. Two reasons:
The Navy is about SHIPS, and ships are about ports and repair, thus a huge amount of the Navy input is directly related to port business, repair, painting, etc...
Secondly, those zillion Toyotas, Nissans and VW's need stereos, wheel covers etc... Where do you think that is done? JAXPORT.
Buy a coffee? JAXPORT!
Generate with Colombian Coal? JAXPORT!
Drive an import? JAXPORT!
Fill up the tank in the Southeast? JAXPORT!
Work for the railroads or in trucking, air or bus industry? JAXPORT!
See a warehouse in town? JAXPORT!
This is why we can't say Jaxport beats the Navy because frankly, ask Atlantic Marine? JAXPORT!
We've got it going on!
OCKLAWAHA
Port Expansion? Here is just a couple of fun shots of the "port of the future". This is the same scale as the Mayport photos, but look what happens at Clapboard Creek with the Mayport "Port" basin turned into a commercial site. I'm not saying this is where it must go, but am saying this is going to be typical of the distant port future here.
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JEA Powerplant on upper left, Blount Island Below.
OCKLAWAHA
How would you get past Hecksher Dr.? Make it a tunnel?
Getting past Heckscher is the easy part. You'll just need hundreds of millions for higher bridges. The real question is how do you get past environmentalist and the National Park Service to turn the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve into additional port terminals?
NEWS JUST IN: Hanjin might possibly come in just a few months.
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2008/11/03/daily2.html
Yeah, that too. I guess you could make them draw-bridges. I'd feel sorry for those stuck waiting for a supertanker to pass though! :)
Blount Island does still have some room. There is also land in the eastern armpit of 9A and Hecksher with rail connections that could work as well. Just that land alone should allow us enough space to double our tonnage capacity.
QuoteThe soonest Hanjin’s $207 million terminal at Dames Point is expected to be completed is July 2011, and the latest is June 2012. The 88-acre terminal will have a 2,500-foot berth that will allow it to handle two post-Panamax ships simultaneously
Will the chanel need to be deepened for these post Panamax ships to get ot the port?
Channel is headed for 50 feet +/- as we write. I agree the enviromentalist would be ready to fight, but looking at the map there are at least 3 locations outside of the preserve where a basin of this size would fit. Condsidering that, I'd say Enviromentalists v Big Money = MONEY WINS, port keeps on the grow. We could also shift all regular size ships West of the Dames Point Bridge and build on forever.
OCKLAWAHA
Environmentalist and the government also = big money. Can you point them out on a larger map? Btw, there are also areas along Tallyrand that are ripe for redevelopment.
Like the Keystone Coal site, that is a huge parcel of land that can easily be subdivided.
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This just shows some of the possible "higher ground" that could be squeezed out of the area. The Island is already under consideration, with a dual roadway/railway draw bridge, this thing will have to be massive.
Hecksher drive will probably be routed North along the zoning boundry. Also, I don't hold out much hope for the home owners either - GONE in 60 seconds? Maybe. Parks and fish camps, even homes are easy to relocate - Hanjin isn't. When you toss in Hamburg, COSCO, Evergreen, Gran Colombiania etc...
Reednavy you're right, the port has ENDLESS opportunities beyond the bridge too. Ever see a ZOO-MOVE? It's gonna happen - someday. That land is just too damn valuable to waste on Elephants. I was of course making a point about Imeson - or was I? It's close to the water and certainly holds a key for conveyer or pipeline goods. This means the river footprint would be nothing more then a small mole and some dolphins. All of the goods move via continious belt or pipe to storage and transfer facilities - where else? IMESON. Be nice if our resident airplane-drivers would buy that last old hanger and make a museum there, right next to the 500,000 gallon diesel tanks and 40 acres of plastic pellets.
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TWO PHOTOS FROM COLOMBIA'S SIDE OF THE POND
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...and I'm rooting for KEYSTONE COAL, after all how do you think those black diamonds get to the tipple in Colombia? Oh yes... F.C. Atlantico. For those of you that think it's all Jungle down there, "I can't help you". The "little Country" would easily cover the land from DENVER - DETROIT - ATLANTA - NEW ORLEANS, and includes prairies and deserts and enough mountains to give anyone altitude sickness. Bottom line? It ain't so little.
OCKLAWAHA