MAERSK's port operator APM Terminals (APMT) has shutdown in Jacksonville, Florida, shortly it shutdown in Houston, Texas, while at the same time it beefed up its operations in Mobile, Alabama mid-way between the two.
Maersk's APMT folds in Florida and Texas, but beefs up Alabama box shopMAERSK's port operator APM Terminals (APMT) has shutdown in Jacksonville, Florida, shortly it shutdown in Houston, Texas, while at the same time it beefed up its operations in Mobile, Alabama mid-way between the two.
The decision to close the JAXPORT terminal was hastened by the disappearance of its primary customer, the troubled carrier, Horizon Lines, afer it stopped its Puerto Rico service and sold off its assets last year.
The standalone Maersk APMT unit operated the Blount Island Marine Terminal, which has now been taken over by Seattle-based stevedore SSA Marine.
Maersk recently began calling at Jacksonville as a 2M Alliance partner with Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) on their loop called TP10 by Maersk and New Everglades by MSC. SSA Marine will provide stevedoring services.
According to BlueWater Reporting, the loop operates with 10 vessels with an average capacity of 4,096 TEU rotating through Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Busan, Cristobal, Savannah, Charleston, Jacksonville, Miami, Vostochniy and back to Xingang.
APMT will continue to serve shippers moving cargo through the US Gulf at Mobile, Alabama, where it is to invest US$40 million to add two super-postpanamax cranes and expand the container yard by 20 acres.
APMT has the option to further increase capacity to over more than 1.3 million TEU to cater for increased traffic expected from next year's expanded Panama Canal.
The Alabama State Port Authority has begun construction of an Intermodal Container Transfer Facility for the Port of Mobile, which will connect the APM Terminals facility by rail to markets in the US Southeast and Midwest.