More than 80% of Jacksonville’s import TEUs went to Blount Island in May and June, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Photo credit: Ari Ashe / Journal of Commerce.
North American portsContainer linesPortsPort infrastructureSurfaceTrucking
Ari Ashe, Senior Editor, and Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jul 10, 2023, 4:04 PM EDT
Truck drivers calling Jacksonville’s Blount Island marine terminal have been battling multihour delays in recent weeks as they contend with a one-two punch of significantly higher container volumes and a construction project that has helped snarl traffic at the facility.
Southern Companies, a Florida-based drayage provider, recently issued a notice about “major delays and congestion” at Blount Island, saying cargo owners should “be prepared to extend containers’ last free day,” which is indicative of an ongoing, persistent issue.
The problems flared in recent weeks after Ocean Network Express (ONE) shifted a vessel service out of Jacksonville’s other primary container terminal, Dames Point, in May. The shift has caused a volume imbalance between the two terminals.
More than 80% of Jacksonville’s import TEUs went to Blount Island in May and June, according to PIERS, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. That compares with about 55% for all of 2021 and 2022. Blount Island handled 11 additional ships during the two-month period compared with the same period last year, while Dames Point handled five fewer vessels, according to PIERS.
A second drayage executive, who asked not to be identified, said Blount Island is “jam-packed” right now, while Dames Point is “a ghost town.”
JAXPORT said ONE’s weekly EC5 vessel service left Dames Point because it began using larger vessels that require the deeper 47-foot ship channel depth leading into Blount Island.
Construction adds to trucker delays
Contributing to the drayage delays is a $100 million construction project by Blount Island operator SSA Marine, work that is expected to continue through the end of 2024.
“In late May, two (construction) phases were required to overlap at the same time that five heavy import-laden vessels arrived within seven days, including the two largest vessels to ever call Jacksonville,” Frank McBride, regional vice president of SSA Marine, said in a statement.
SSA claims the backups have eased in recent weeks after it began opening its terminal gates earlier in the morning and keeping them open through lunch when necessary to process the trucks. SSA will also launch a new ingate system in September that it believes will get drivers into the terminal faster.
The port authority is also trying to ease the traffic woes for truck drivers.
“JAXPORT recently hired additional traffic control officers for Blount Island and is also making improvements to the primary on-terminal intersection,” it said in a statement. “Plans call for adding new road lanes to improve traffic flow for all trucks entering and exiting the terminal."
The port authority added that it markets both container terminals equally, but ultimately it is up to the ocean carriers and cargo owners whether to use Blount Island or Dames Point to route their cargo through Jacksonville.