Hanjin Shipping and the Port of Jacksonville in Florida, U.S., have agreed to suspend the development of a dedicated terminal at the port after the G6 Alliance and CKYH Alliance moved to expand their services to the Asia-U.S. East Coast trade and include Jaxport in their rotations.
In a statement, the Jacksonville Port Authority said they would focus instead on increasing throughput by serving the needs of the two alliances.
“We will now commit our combined energies to filling the ships on each of these new rotations and expediting the process for authorization and funding of the 47-foot harbor deepening project, which is of critical importance to the port and to our businesses,” said Jaxport interim CEO Roy Schleicher.
Members of the G6 Alliance—APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and Orient Overseas Container Line—will expand their cooperation to the Asia-U.S. East Coast lane beginning in May, with Jaxport included in their two new slings. One rotation will originate in Hong Kong and transit through the Suez Canal. The second sling will depart from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and transit through the Panama Canal.
In addition, the CKYH, composed of Cosco, “K” Line, Yang Ming, and Hanjin, will call weekly on Jaxport beginning in mid-April. The port rotation will be Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, New York, Wilmington, Savannah, Jacksonville, Busan, and back to Ningbo.
Schleicher said the terminal development contract was set aside in the mutual interest of Jaxport and Hanjin. “This decision should be seen for what it is, a prudent course of action for both Hanjin and the Jacksonville community, one that will ensure each partner maximizes the benefits of our joint operations, now and in the future.”
Photo: Jaxport
