Barbara Miracle | 2/1/2008

Port Panama City

Port Panama City

» Cargo tonnage surpassed 1 million for the first time in 2004-05, reached 1.8 million in 2005-06 and fell back to 1.3 million in 2006-07 with the decline in the sales of houses and autos. Port Director Wayne Stubbs projects that cargo tonnage will increase to 1.8 million this year. “The trend is still a pretty good upward trend,” says Stubbs.

» Soaring copper prices and Linea Peninsular shipping lines’ relocation to Port Panama City after Hurricane Katrina led to a dramatic increase in the values of imports and exports from 2003 through 2006.

» Green Circle BioEnergy, the world’s largest wood pellet plant with production of 500,000 metric tons per year, will begin shipping from its new plant near Cottondale through Port Panama City this year.

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Port of Tampa/ Port Manatee

» Over the next five years, the Tampa Port Authority will invest $332 million to position itself for increased container shipping, growth in cement and aggregate cargo and potential business resulting from the Panama Canal expansion in 2014.

» A big focus over the next 20 years is on growing TPA’s container business to keep overall tonnage, which averages 50 million tons annually, growing even with the decline in phosphate and coal shipments. “Total tonnage has been remarkably stable over the years despite a huge 16-million-ton decline in phosphate and fertilizer since 1980,” noted Tampa Port Director and CEO Richard Wainio in his 2007 State of the Port Address.

» TPA plans to spend $40 million through 2013 to expand its container terminal, including a 90-acre container yard and new rail connections.

» To alleviate traffic congestion, the port is promoting a new I-4 connector from the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway designed to have dedicated truck lanes.

» At Port Manatee, a new $3.9-million mobile harbor crane will be used to add container shipping in preparation for increased shipping traffic from the Panama Canal expansion.

JaxPort

» This year, Tokyo-based Mitsui O.S.K. Lines will begin shipping direct to and from Asia and Europe from its new 158-acre Dames Point container terminal. “It really has put us on the map internationally,” says JaxPort communications and public relations director Nancy Rubin, who adds that in Florida only Tampa and Miami have direct Asian service now.

» The port has signed an initial agreement with South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping Co. to develop a $360-million container terminal. The deal would triple the number of containers that go through the port.

» JaxPort is looking at its infrastructure needs, particularly making the port channel deeper.

» Carnival Cruise Lines will begin sailing its 2,052-passenger Fascination from the port this September, replacing the 1,486-passenger Celebration. Long term, the port is looking at alternative sites for its cruise port, which is now limited by the height of the Dames Point Bridge.

Port Everglades

» The Broward County Commission recently approved a 20-year master plan. The five-year capital improvement part of the plan will cost $418.5 million and includes improvement to Port Everglades cruise and cargo facilities.

» Six of the port’s 12 cruise terminals will be renovated or expanded, a 1,200-space parking structure will be added and roadways in the cruise terminal area will be widened to accommodate more taxis and improve traffic flow. Royal Caribbean will homeport its two 5,400-passenger Genesis megaships at Port Everglades starting in 2009.

» Cargo improvements center on a new crushed rock aggregate terminal to be located at Southport, site of the majority of Port Everglades container terminals. To serve that terminal as well as other container terminals, Port Everglades will develop the first phase of an intermodal container transfer facility, which will link rail tracks with the Southport terminal.

Port of Miami

» The port plans to spend $540 million over the next five years for port improvements and maintenance.

» Plans and funding for a tunnel from the port to the
MacArthur Causeway and then on to I-395 are in place with Miami-Dade County to provide $402.5 million, the state $435 million plus $8 million to $9 million a year over 35 years for operating costs and the Miami City Commission $50 million. The tunnel will be built by a team led by French construction firm Bouygues Travaux Publics.

Port Canaveral

» Cruise lines served 4.5 million passengers in 2006.

» Passenger traffic was down 5.5% for 2007 through August. Larger ports, such as Port Everglades, are luring away the cruise industry’s megaships. To counter the trend, the Canaveral Port Authority plans to widen the shipping channel to accommodate the larger cruise ships. A third gambling cruise ship plans to join SunCruz Casino and Sterling Casino Lines in 2008.

» The Port Authority is continuing to pursue a deal to develop a hotel and destination entertainment center on 26 acres along the Banana River.

» The port is making a big push to expand its cargo traffic. Early this year, Netherlands-based Vitol S.A. plans to begin construction of a fuel tank and distribution complex. When complete, Vitol’s facility will at least double, and perhaps quadruple, the amount of petroleum shipped through the port.

Florida Ports — Imports and Exports
Port	2003	2006	% Increase from 2003-06
Port of Miami	$16.85 billion	$20.88 billion	24%
JaxPort	12.35 billion	20.62 billion	67
Port Everglades	10.12 billion	17.98 billion	78
Port Panama City	420.42 million	4.63 billion	1,001
Port of Tampa	2.64 billion	4.11 billion	56
Port of Palm Beach	1.60 billion	1.92 billion	21
Port Manatee	634.97 million	927.88 million	46
Port Canaveral	483.12 million	663.87 million	37

Protecting the Ports Department of Homeland Security, Port Security Grants
Port	Grants/2007	Grants/2002-07
Port of Miami	$54,350	$29,242,117
JaxPort	5,888,464	16,700,014
Port of Tampa	475,783	12,075,489
Port Canaveral	2,893,431	6,543,715
Port Everglades	270,000	3,389,500
Port Manatee	355,821	3,207,331
Port of Palm Beach	1,500,000	2,316,072
Port of Pensacola	0	527,107
Port Panama City	0	46,847

Tags: Around Florida