ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) has upsized four vessels utilised in its weekly container service.
This container service is operated through the 2M Alliance calling at JAXPORT.
This upsizing replaces the smaller ships with two 11,700 TEU and two 11,923 TEU vessels.
These new vessels are the largest ships ever to be included in a regular port rotation at JAXPORT.
One of the 11,923 TEU vessels arrived at JAXPORT this week, tying the port record for the largest container ship to call at the port.
The 11,923 TEU ZIM USA’s captain received a maiden voyage plaque from JAXPORT commemorating the ship’s inaugural visit to Jacksonville.
A recently developed 47-foot harbour deepening project provides the water draft needed for these larger vessels to call the port regularly.
The port also offers two-way ship traffic with no berth or terminal congestion, and same-day access to 98 million US consumers.
READ: ZIM tops $3 billion mark so far in 2022
Florida Department of Transportation Secretary, Jared W. Perdue, P.E. said “We are thrilled that the recent investment in the harbour deepening project has so quickly created opportunities for larger vessels to serve the port, Florida, and the nation.”
“The foresight of our federal, state, and local partners to invest in our port provides the capabilities needed to accommodate these vessels,” said JAXPORT CEO, Eric Green.
“We are grateful to ZIM and the 2M Alliance for bringing these ships to Jacksonville, supporting and growing local jobs throughout the supply chain.”
The 2M is an alliance comprised of Maersk, MSC, and ZIM.
The 2M’s Jacksonville service features a total of 11 ships that connect JAXPORT to Qingdao, Shanghai, and Ningbo in China; Busan, South Korea; and Kingston, Jamaica.
Located in the heart of the Southeast US, JAXPORT is Florida’s largest container port by volume and one of the nation’s top vehicle-handling ports.
