Agreements & Contracts: Jacksonville, Long Beach, Wilmington

The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) and long-time tenant Trailer Bridge, Inc. have extended their ties by signing a new 10-year lease contract to continue the company's operations on approximately 32 acres at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. Representatives of the Port of Long Beach and the Busan Port Authority met in South Korea on November 4 for the signing of  a "sister port" agreement to establish a mutually beneficial exchange of technology, ideas and culture. The Port of Wilmington recently signed a five-year agreement with Fresh Fruit Maroc, an association of Moroccan citrus growers and exporters, to ensure that the Delaware port will remain a distribution hub for the association’s clementines through 2017.

JAXPORT and Trailer Bridge Sign New 10-Year Contract

The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) and long-time tenant Trailer Bridge, Inc. have extended their ties by signing a new 10-year lease contract. The agreement, which includes two additional five-year options, continues the company's operations on approximately 32 acres at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal.

Jacksonville-based Trailer Bridge has operated at JAXPORT since the company’s founding in 1991. The firm offers cargo transportation services to and from North America, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

"For more than 20 years, Trailer Bridge has been an important part of JAXPORT’s prominence in the Puerto Rico and Caribbean market," said Roy Schleicher, JAXPORT’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "As one of our major tenants, we’re delighted to have Trailer Bridge onboard at JAXPORT for years to come."

Long Beach, Busan Sign ‘Sister Port’ Pact 

Representatives of the Port of Long Beach and the Busan Port Authority met in South Korea on November 4 for the signing of  a "sister port" agreement to establish a mutually beneficial exchange of technology, ideas and culture.  

Both ports face the challenge of modernizing to better serve customers and to reduce their environmental impacts. The ports welcomed the chance to share technical and engineering information, best practices and professional expertise. 

"As we move ahead with our $4 billion modernization program, and as you develop your extraordinary new Port of Busan facilities, we have many beneficial opportunities to share ideas, information and expertise to meet these mutual goals," said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Thomas Fields at the event in South Korea. "To that end, it is our great honor to enter into this sister port agreement with the Busan Port Authority." 

Long Beach has similar agreements with Qingdao in China and Hualien and Taichung in Taiwan. It also has memoranda of understanding with the Port of Rotterdam, the Panama Canal Authority, Yantian International Container Terminals in Shenzhen (China) and China Merchants Holdings International, the largest public seaport operator in China.  

Like the previous agreements, the Busan accord is not legally binding, but the ports expect it will create additional opportunities for cooperation. President Fields and Acting Executive Director Al Moro signed on behalf of the Port of Long Beach.

Wilmington (DE) Long-Term Deal with Fresh Fruit Maroc

The Port of Wilmington recently signed a five-year agreement with Fresh Fruit Maroc, an association of Moroccan citrus growers and exporters. The deal ensures that the Delaware port will remain a distribution hub for the association’s clementines through 2017. Fresh Fruit Maroc has been a Wilmington port user since 2000, but under short-term (mainly one-year) arrangements.

According to the port, import volume this year is projected to jump 30 percent, with a resulting boost in revenue. Direct jobs affected by the new agreement will be 89, up from last year’s 69.

The new agreement includes 10-13 ship arrivals at the port each year during a season that runs from October through March. Shipments are expected to bring an annual volume of 35,000 metric tons of fruit.

"The long-term commitment from the Moroccan growers, affirms the Port of Wilmington’s leadership and specialization in the critical handling of fresh fruit and produce from around the world for the benefit of the citizens of the Eastern United States and Canada," said Chairman Alan B. Levin of Diamond State Port Corporation, the Delaware state agency that owns and manages the Port of Wilmington. 

American Association of Port Authorities
Asociación Americana de Autoridades Portuarias
1201 Maryland Ave SW, Suite 860, Washington, D.C. 20024
E: info@aapa-ports.org
W: www.aapa-ports.org