SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
FLORIDA TRADE AND LOGISTICS
partners such as Ports America, AGS and PLRS to collaborate and provide the facilities necessary to prepare for the future.”
The latest phase included the addition of three ship-to-shore gantry cranes and a new gate complex, bringing the total to five post-Panamax gantries.
“ We plan to purchase two additional cranes this year,” he added.
The port installed a new automated gate system, featuring optical character recognition and weigh-in-motion scales, with six inbound and three outbound lanes.
Construction will soon begin on a third deepwater berth and a new on-dock, railserved transload warehouse, expected to come online in 2026. The new warehouse will have abundant on-dock intermodal capability, including 17,000 feet of rail trackage. Tampa Bay is also beginning a berth extension to 4,500 feet, which is projected to be finished in 2026.
“ We work with Ports America to ensure turnaround times are as efficient as possible,” Lovelace said.“ We’ re exploring a cross-dock terminal that will allow us to cross-dock containerized cargo into overthe-road trailers, looking for northbound loads to get out of Florida. There’ s an imbalance of truckloads in Florida— heavy inbound and light outbound— and having a cargo base in central Florida to fill northbound trucks will contribute toward balancing the trade.”
Ports and industry players are using data, technology and automation to reduce truck turnaround times, improve cargo throughput and enhance the customer experience.
In 2022, Port Everglades launched real-time video feeds of its Southport containerized cargo area to reduce waiting times for truck drivers and help dispatchers better manage transit times.
“ This has since been augmented by appointment systems implemented by many of our cargo terminal customers,” Morris said.“ We’ ve also collaborated with the Florida Department of Transportation to collect traffic data through key points in our port for future flow and access improvements.”
Trailer Bridge recently partnered with technology providers GenLogs and Highway to expand data and visibility within its freight operations.
“ These tools allow us to combat the growing freight fraud in today’ s market,” Luciano said.“ We’ re adding tracking capabilities to our assets so our customers moving freight between the US and Puerto Rico will have full visibility into their freight’ s journey.”
Port Everglades is monitoring its cargo mix and trade routes to reshape its plans for future growth. For example, as ship sizes increase to carry more containers, the port has invested more than $ 471 million in expanded berth capacity and another $ 87 million to add the six container gantry cranes in its Southport containerized cargo area.
Also, shipping lines continue to incorporate environmentally friendly alternative fuels such as liquified natural gas( LNG). In April, Port Everglades welcomed its first LNG-powered cargo ship, Crowley’ s Quetzal.
“ The newbuild vessel servicing the US, Central America and the Caribbean Basin has a capacity for 1,400 TEUs and 300 refrigerated unit plugs for transporting perishable goods,” Morris said.
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46 Journal of Commerce | June 2, 2025 www. joc. com