The Port of Jacksonville in the U.S will receive its first weekly shipping service from Southern China, Singapore and Vietnam staring in mid-May.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and its alliance partner K-Line will call on TraPac’s container terminal at Dames Point after calling on Cai Mep, Vietnam; Shekou, China; Hong Kong; Yanitan, China; and Singapore. The service through the Suez Canal includes two Mitsui ships and seven K-Line ships, which each have a capacity of about 5,500 TEUS, or twenty-foot-equivalent container units.
“This is a very good sign,” said Dennis Kelly, TraPac regional vice president and general manager. “This hopefully shows that the [economy] is turning around.”
TraPac’s business decreased slightly in the first quarter of the year, but he expects business to begin picking up in June. Kelly said the shipping lines are considering bringing in larger ships with a capacity of up to 6,000 TEUs.
Source: Jacksonville Business Journal