Federal government awards JAXPORT $23.5 million for JAXPORT's sustainability initiatives
Through the project, JAXPORT will spend $1 million to support port-wide electrification through the development of a Port and Maritime Electrification Plan
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded a $23.5 million Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant to JAXPORT’s Exemplifying Potential to Reduce Emissions with Sustainable Solutions (EXPRESS) project. The JAXPORT EXPRESS project is a $47 million public-private partnership by JAXPORT and two of its port tenants, SSA Jacksonville and Crowley. This grant will support sustainability initiatives at the port’s Blount Island and Talleyrand marine terminals.
EXPRESS is one of the first large-scale investments in zero- and near-zero-emission cargo-handling equipment technologies in Florida. The initiative will achieve greenhouse gas reductions, expand energy-efficient terminal infrastructure, increase JAXPORT’s cargo throughput, and develop a plan to transition to lower emission port infrastructure and maritime operations.
As part of the EXPRESS project, $31.2 million will be spent purchasing new eco-friendly cargo handling equipment for the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal (JCT) at Blount Island, including six hybrid-electric rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes, as well as nearly a dozen units of low- and zero-emission container top picks, forklifts, and related charging infrastructure. The initiative is supported by more than $370 million in ongoing investment by JAXPORT and SSA to modernize the SSA JCT, including a $20 million grant awarded by MARAD in 2019. SSA is also investing more than $40 million for the addition of three eco-friendly container cranes that will arrive at JAXPORT in February 2023.
Additionally, $14.6 million will be spent at Crowley’s JAXPORT Talleyrand Terminal for the addition of nearly two dozen zero-emissions equipment for cargo handling, including specialty yard tractors and forklifts, as well as related charging stations for Crowley’s supply chain services. The grant also supports the addition of 160 refrigerated cargo charging stations (reefer plugs) to sustainably meet current and future growth needs at the port without using diesel as fuel. These emissions reduction efforts build upon Crowley’s investments increasing the efficiency and sustainability of the Puerto Rico trade by deploying Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) container ships, four forthcoming LNG-fueled ships for the U.S.-Central America trade, and a state-of-the-art LNG bunkering facility at the terminal.
Through the project, JAXPORT will spend $1 million to support port-wide electrification through the development of a Port and Maritime Electrification Plan - a plan for transitioning JAXPORT, the local maritime industry, and other similar ports towards lower emissions technologies. The project includes initiatives to develop and implement workforce development programs to establish the labor pool necessary to maintain and operate the equipment and support future widespread deployment of eco-friendly technologies.
Additional supporters of this funding include U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.
Located in the heart of the Southeast U.S., JAXPORT is Florida’s No. 1 container port by volume and one of the nation’s top vehicle-handling ports. Jacksonville offers two-way ship traffic with no berth or terminal congestion and same-day access to 98 million U.S. consumers.