Tag Archive for: container revenues

shipping containers

Shipping never stops. But, the Covid-19 pandemic certainly altered how it was done in 2020.

Locally, container revenues at the Port of Jacksonville for October ā€” the most recent number information was availableā€”was 1% below October 2019 figures at $2.86 million. Auto revenues for the same period were $1.35 million, a 2 % decrease. The year was expected to wrap up with volumes continuing to rise but still below the same period in 2019.

ā€œFor the first quarter we should be doing better than projected,ā€ Jaxport CEOĀ Eric Green said.

ā€œThe stateā€™s ports are catalysts for commerce,ā€ said Florida Ports Council chief executiveĀ Doug Wheeler in a November podcast with Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

Wheeler represents the stateā€™s 15 deep water ports, including the Port of Jacksonville and Port of Fernandina.

“Iā€™m confident that our seaports will play a big role in that recovery,ā€ Wheeler said. ā€œā€¦Weā€™re about $117 billion. Our ports are delivering, pretty much, everything that people, businesses, residents, consumers in our state are using in their everyday lives.ā€

Wheeler said the diversity within the stateā€™s ports is what allowed many to withstand 2020. Jaxport executives certainly believe that is the case.

ā€œWeā€™re not just all cruise ships,ā€ saidĀ Ed Fleming, a longtime maritime executive who has served on the Jacksonville Port Authority since 2014. ā€œWeā€™re bulk cargo. Weā€™re Asian cargo. Weā€™re domestic cargo. We do some military cargo, liquid bulk, dry bulk. So, we donā€™t have all our eggs in one basket. And, I think, that diversification has shielded us, somewhat, from some of the other ports that are heavy into cruise ships like PortMiami and Port Everglades.ā€

Fleming said the key heading into 2021 is getting the pandemic under control.

ā€œCovid will still be with us next year, for the most part,ā€ Fleming said. ā€œIt will get better and better, gradually, over time. I think 2021 will be better than 2020, but probably not back to normal ā€“ in any industry for that matter.ā€

 

Source: Jax Biz Journal