Carrying the supply chain forward
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
JACKSONVILLE TRADE AND LOGISTICS
and near-dock fueling capabilities, and there is growing interest from ocean carriers in using Jaxport for LNG capabilities,” Peek said.
Infrastructure improvements developed through close collaboration between Crowley and Jaxport have had a meaningful impact on reliability, efficiency and vessel operations in Jacksonville.
“ These efforts— such as adding refrigerated container plugs, implementing paperless gate operations and expanding LNG bunkering capabilities— have helped reduce congestion, improve vessel turnaround times and support more predictable operations as larger, more advanced vessels call Jacksonville,” Davis said.
Crowley is leveraging technology and data to create greater transparency and reliability for customers. Investments in digital terminal operating systems, cargo-tracking platforms and upgraded IT infrastructure enable real-time visibility across ocean, terminal and inland transportation stages.
“ We’ re also deploying data-driven tools to improve gate efficiency, equipment utilization and intermodal coordination, while onboard vessel connectivity supports more accurate schedule and performance reporting,” Davis said.
Warehousing, industrial development
As cargo volumes grow through Jaxport terminals, warehousing and distribution development has accelerated across the region. Currently, there are approximately 156 million square feet of industrial warehousing space in Jacksonville.
“ Companies see the port growing in capabilities and connections to emerging trade lanes, and they recognize the advantages of doing business here to support their import and export supply chains,” Peek said.
“ With a strong port network and experienced inland service providers, shippers can efficiently move cargo to and from the terminal,” he added.
Crowley has seen increased demand for warehousing, cross-docking and distribution tied to Jaxport volumes, as customers seek to position inventory closer to US and Caribbean markets.
“ This has reinforced the need for flexible storage options, temperaturecontrolled space and integrated inland transportation, all of which support faster transit times and more resilient distribution models,” Davis said.
Developers are also seeing strong, sustained demand for modern, Class A logistics space, particularly in the 100,000- to 300,000-square-foot range.
“ That’ s the sweet spot for distribution tenants who need to be close to the port,” Margiotta said.“ It’ s the product we’ re building at Eastport Exchange, our 1.75 million-square-foot industrial park on Jacksonville’ s Northside, just minutes from the marine terminals.”
Third-party logistics providers( 3PLs) are the most active tenant segment, tracking with the broader national trend of companies outsourcing more of their supply chain operations.
“ Beyond 3PLs, we’ re seeing activity from food and beverage distributors, cold chain operators, e-commerce fulfillment companies and building materials suppliers,” Margiotta said.“ The Northside submarket where we’ re developing has historically been the market’ s busiest corridor because of its direct port and interstate access.”
InLight acquired 136 acres less than a mile from the I-295 interchange and under 3 miles from I-95, with direct access to both of Jaxport’ s marine
Carrying the supply chain forward
A global supply chain solutions leader, Crowley offers more than service lines and full-service logistics management. Crowley’ s global operations connect Jacksonville to the Caribbean and Central America. Its team of seasoned experts combine industryleading technology with a full suite of scalable, end-to-end services to create efficient, repeatable results.
Crowley’ s origin, in-transit and destination services include ocean, air and inland cargo transportation; truck brokerage; cargo insurance; customs compliance; dry and refrigerated warehousing and distribution; freight forwarding and consolidation / deconsolidation services; and FTZ capabilities.
As a consultative partner for customers seeking to optimize their supply chains while aligning capabilities to fulfill their demands, Crowley leverages its global, blended asset services to reduce friction while gaining speed to market for goods. The business has over 45,000 pieces of ocean-going cargo-carrying equipment and a diversified fleet of container vessels to offer our partners frequent, reliable, fixed-day weekly sailings, reaching many markets in just over two days.
The business employs technology at its owned-and-operated terminals to increase efficiency by decreasing the amount of time it takes trucking partners to enter and leave with cargo. Additionally, as an asset-based, Jones Act carrier, Crowley can employ a“ Blue Water Highway” service to bypass road and rail crowding to move equipment by sea along the East Coast.
Crowley is a private-held, US-owned and-operated maritime, energy and logistics solutions company. For more than 130 years, its portfolio of businesses has provided innovative ocean and land transportation services for the commercial and government sectors. As a global ship owner and operator, Crowley serves 36 nations and island territories and is one of the leading employers of US mariners. a
Our world is in constant motion, and Crowley is helping to carry it forward.
42 Journal of Commerce | April 6, 2026 www. joc. com