Exploring JAXPORT

[Overstreet]

......This is the the kind of economic development Jacksonville should direct resources to, rather than thinking a professional sports franchise or stadium expansions will provide the kinds of high-paying employment that the port does.........

Where have you been? They've been working on it for years. If it were an either or decison this might be valid. But it is not. They have to work economic devleopment on many levels and playing fields. Otherwise they'd be "putting all their eggs in one basket."

[finehoe]

I guess I didn't make my point very well.  Yes, having professional sports teams lend a certain air of "having made it" to a city, and can be useful in marketing said city.  My post wasn't meant to be read as the Jaguars (or any other team) are worthless, or anything like that.  What I’m trying to point out is our priorities.  A great deal of time, money, and effort is often expended on trying to attract things of ephemeral value, but a commensurate amount of effort (to my knowledge) hasn't been expended on developing and promoting a resource with a much greater impact on the local economy.  Yes we can do both, but it seems that too often we concentrate too much on "feel good" projects and too little on "the real deal".

[Wacca Pilatka]

Yes we can do both, but it seems that too often we concentrate too much on "feel good" projects and too little on "the real deal".

Unfortunately, that certainly seems to be the case quite often with downtown development.

[thelakelander]

This is why I'm a big fan of bringing passenger rail back to Jax.  The spin-off economic benefits from the investment would be much larger than most tend to imagine.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Great article on the ports. Correct me if I am wrong but didnt Peyton sit down and talk to 'Kraft' the owner of the Patriots during our SB. With no Jaguars does this meeting even take place. Alot of these owners are very rich and have many other bussiness. You never know what bussiness might spin off a casual conversation at a football game about shipping through our port vs somewhere else or starting another bussiness right in our downtown. Were lucky to have such a nice port and NFL.

[RainDoggie]

No joke.  I just finished re-watching season 2 of The Wire and the whole time I was thinking "gosh, I don't really know anything about JAXPORT.  I wish MetroJacksonville.com would do a post on this topic to help educate me".  Ah, the internets never let me down.  And neither do you MetroJacksonville.com.  Thanks for a good article and for your awesome psychic abilities. 
(for those who don't know, season 2 of The Wire primarily focused on a commercial cargo seaport in Baltimore, the struggles of the port's stevedores, and a corrupt officer of their union)

[billy]

you left out the dead russian hookers in one of the cans.....

[stjr]

The port needs to dredge the river to really move forward, but there is opposition due to environmental concerns.

From what I have read, the environmental concerns can be significant, especially with respect to changing the salinity of the river.  We may be forced to ask, "Do we advance the port or kill the ecology of the river?".  I firmly believe the river's ecology trumps port interests if it comes down to this.

[Ocklawaha]

A JAXPORT IDEA...

There exists along Talleyrand a court of flags, from various international trading partners that visit JAXPORT. While I believe the court to be part of the Crowley Maritime Terminal, the concept would serve the entire Port Authority well. Those of us who are expatriate's can testify to the truth of the warm fuzzies one gets when observing ones flag flying far from home.

In this regard we have an opportunity and a need to flaunt what we have in JaxPort. Why not line the BAY-TALLEYRAND stretch from the Jaxport offices at Talleyrand and 21St Street, all the way to Bay and Main  with the flags of EVERY Jaxport trading partner. (another similar display down Hecksher Drive would impress the hell out of cruise passengers)  A colorful ribbon on top of each flagpole, or streetlight flag arm, would proclaim the countries and perhaps their motto such as:

COLOMBIA, Peace and Order

A second ribbon could contain the name of the carrier, and or the customers names. A nautical plaque above or below the flag pole or streetlight flag fixture, would hold the name of the sponsor of that particular flag display.

Do we have an artist onboard that could post a little rendering? What do y'all think?

OCKLAWAHA

[urbanlibertarian]

People's Republic of China

[Ocklawaha]

COLOMBIA = Coffee, Coal, Lumber, shoes, lingerie, fruit, oil, orchids, LG Appliances, flowers, Old Hippie Railroad Planners = inbound to USA

Auto's, Railroad Equipment, plastics, machinery, computers = outbound to Colombia


OCKLAWAHA

[finehoe]

A JAXPORT IDEA...
Why not line the BAY-TALLEYRAND stretch from the Jaxport offices at Talleyrand and 21St Street, all the way to Bay and Main  with the flags of EVERY Jaxport trading partner. (another similar display down Hecksher Drive would impress the hell out of cruise passengers)  A colorful ribbon on top of each flagpole, or streetlight flag arm, would proclaim the countries and perhaps their motto

I LOVE this idea!

[mtraininjax]

My wife and I heard Rick Ferrin discuss Jaxport at the Selva Marina today. He spoke for 45 minutes and then took questions. Many people were complaining about dredging and how it affects the coquina at Mayport, others complained that the automated system at the new Hanjin terminal will result in fewer jobs. Rick said that the port jobs average 45k when the average in Jax is under 30k. So good paying jobs. Rick said that the new cruise terminal will NOT be paid for by taxpayers, he will find a way to pay for it with revenue from the passenger tax AND make sure that the payments cover the debt service. He hopes to build the new facility at between 30 and 60 million. He has a few sites in mind, and NO parking deck, will use parking lots to contain the cars.

Rick did say that the once the port dredges to accompany post-panamax ships will allow Jax to become the 3rd largest port on the east coast. Right now Jax handles about 800,000 containers, Savannah processes 2.4 million containers. Jax did process the 2nd most vehicles on the east coast in 2009. Cruise revenue is about 10-20% of his overall revenue, and he does not want to lose it. He is committed to finding a solution for the cruise terminal. Right now the port provides 65,000 direct and indirect jobs, and a 19 billion dollar impact. He hopes that when the port is dredged, Hanjin and Matsui alone will provide between 1.8 and 1.9 million containers and provide up to 100,000 jobs.

He also wanted to know if Stephen wanted to take over the ferry, as they lose $50,000 per month on the ferry. 

[thelakelander]

If they locate the cruise terminal at Mayport, it should send a few more drivers their way to cut down on the ferry subsidy.

[pwhitford]

Another lost opportunity for JAXPORT?  Why weren't we there first?  Can we still strike a deal like this as the first port outside the Gulf or on the Atlantic seaboard?  Someone needs to get moving over there...

Panama Canal Authority Signs Partnership Agreement With the Port of Galveston

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

Alliance Aims to Foster International Trade and Generate New Business by Promoting the "All-Water Route"

Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta and Port of Galveston Director Steven M. Cernak (pictured) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during an official ceremony in Panama City, Panama today. Held at the ACP Administration Building and attended by senior officials, the event marked the beginning of a new partnership between the two entities. The MOU aims to facilitate international trade and generate new business by promoting the “All-Water Route,” the route from Asia to the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts via the Panama Canal.

“Today’s MOU signing further emphasizes our commitment to provide quality service and meet the demands of the global trade and cruise industries,” said Mr. Alemán Zubieta. “We look forward to building upon our existing relationship with the Port of Galveston, which is a strategic geographic partner located only nine miles from the open Gulf of Mexico. We will work to maximize this agreement to continue providing innovative solutions for our customers and promoting growth for our respective regions.”

The MOU includes initiatives in joint marketing, data interchange, market studies, modernization and improvements, training and technological interchange. Collaborative activities could include joint advertising, cross-training, or information-sharing regarding select trade-related data and forecasting.

In an effort to sustain economic growth and generate new business and job opportunities, the ACP and the Port of Galveston, which is situated on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, will undertake a series of activities aimed at improving customer service and business practices.

“As the ‘Gateway to the Gulf,’ the Port of Galveston facilitates the movement of a varied mix of domestic and international cargo, generating an economic impact of more than $1 billion annually to the State of Texas,” said Mr. Cernak. “We, too, look forward to this new partnership with the ACP and the opportunities it will bring for continued fiscal growth and viability for both Panama and Texas.”

This strategic alliance is valid for two years and is renewable upon mutual agreement.

The Panama Canal, which recently commemorated its one-millionth transit, is currently undergoing a historic $5.25 billion expansion. The project will add a new lane of traffic with the construction of a new set of locks, doubling the capacity of the waterway and allowing for the transit of longer, wider ships.