Thursday, March 26, 2009
Jaxport welcomes its biggest ship yet
Thursday, 26 March 2009
The biggest ship to ever call at the Port of Jacksonville unloaded pulp products at Blount Island Wednesday afternoon. The 983-foot Catania was able to call on the port because it was only carrying about 10 percent of its capacity, allowing it to traverse the channel. It’s the first time the Port has hosted a post-Panamax ship, meaning one that is too large for the Panama Canal as it is currently configured. Typical ships calling on the Port are about 650 feet.
“You’re getting a snapshot of what Jacksonville can be,” said Rick Ferrin, the Jacksonville Port Authority’s executive director.
Ferrin is hoping the Port Authority can land about $14.5 million from the federal stimulus package to deepen the channel to 40 feet. The channel will have to deepened about another five feet to be able to receive post-Panamax ships.
The Catania can carry about 4,900 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), but was much lighter when it called on Jacksonville. The Brazilian pulp products delivered by the Catania were scheduled to be delivered by another ship, but that vessel ran aground.
The Catania, which is owned by Mediterranean Shipping Co., is scheduled to return to the Bahamas.
Source: American City Business Journals, Inc
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