The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) welcomed the Sapphire, the first vessel to call Jacksonville as part of the ZCP-Amberjack container service operated by ZIM Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
The weekly service strengthens Jacksonville’s connections with major container gateways across Asia, while providing shippers with expanded access to Latin America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean through connecting services.
Vessels will call JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal weekly on a rotation covering Qingdao, Ningbo and Shanghai in China; Busan, South Korea; Manzanillo, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville; Kingston, Jamaica; and back to Busan.
Importers can expect transit times of approximately 28 to 32 days from North Asia. Through ZIM’s transhipment hubs in Kingston and Cartagena, customers also gain onward connections to additional markets, including the west coast of South America.
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Beyond the direct Asia service, the rotation expands transhipment options to Latin America (Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Guyana), the Caribbean (including first-time connectivity to Aruba, alongside Curaçao and Panama), the Mediterranean (Italy, Greece, Israel and Egypt), and strengthened Asia connectivity to China, Vietnam and Singapore.
Robert Peek, Chief Commercial Officer at JAXPORT, said: “We’re proud to continue building on our longstanding partnership with ZIM and MSC as they expand their service offerings at JAXPORT. This new service provides our customers with reliable connections to key Asian markets and expanded access to international destinations through an established global network. These enhanced capabilities help our customers move cargo more efficiently while strengthening Jacksonville’s role as a gateway for global trade.”
The vessels deployed on the service are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), a cleaner marine fuel, and can be bunkered during their Jacksonville port calls.
For more information:
Jacksonville Port Authority – https://www.jaxport.com/
