Jacksonville Port needs to reposition itself to stay competitive

FLORIDA's Port of Jacksonville needs to re-position itself as the state's economic engine if it is to gain funding it needs to grow, according to a University of North Florida associate professor of logistics.

"Savannah didn't make the pitch (to gain federal funding to deepen its harbour) by themselves," Yem Bolumole said. "They made it as a state."

It noted that the Jacksonville Port Authority estimates it will cost US$500 million to $1 billion to deepen the St Johns River to 50 feet to accommodate larger ships after the Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2014, reported the Jacksonville Business Journal.

To gain a larger market share, Dr Bolumole said the port needed to offer more than just a throughput route for cargo by allowing shipping customers to consolidate and deconsolidate their orders, do light assembly and store goods for postponed delivery, the report said.

The key to providing these added services will be the creation of inland ports with major highways and railway line access for manufacturing and logistics tenants, she said.

Val Noel, president of Jacksonville-based Pacer Cartage, added Jacksonville needs to make sure the costs of trucking, rail and other logistics services don't become too costly. For instance, $100 fees to bring a container to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles during the day reduce the West Coast ports' attractiveness to shippers.
(Source:www.schednet.com)