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Jacksonville's main shipping channel is a 21-mile stretch of the St. Johns River extending from the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean to the Jacksonville Port Authority's (JAXPORT's) Talleyrand Marine Terminal just north of downtown Jacksonville.
As the owner and manager of Jacksonville's public ship terminals, JAXPORT considers maintaining a deep harbor essential to keeping Jacksonville's port viable. A competitive harbor depth allows Jacksonville to accommodate the water depth (draft) requirements of fully-loaded cargo vessels which currently call Jacksonville's port, and to meet the needs of new, even larger cargo ships which will seek to call Jacksonville in the future.
A 15 mile stretch of Jacksonville's federal channel is maintained at a depth of 41 feet. Plans are underway to deepen an additional 5.3 miles along the St. Johns River - a section from Drummond Point to Talleyrand - from its current depth of 38 feet to 41 feet. With partial funding in place, and with the potential addition of further funding via the federal stimulus package, the project is targeted for completion by Fall 2010. When finished, Jacksonville's entire 21-mile shipping channel will enjoy a 41-foot depth.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also considering two additional harbor projects. The first project would improve the flow of the St. Johns River at Mile Point, where intracoastal and river currents pose navigational hindrances during certain tidal conditions. The Corps is completing the Mile Point study this year.
The second project would meet the needs of larger cargo ships projected to call Jacksonville in the future. Toward that end, the Corps is in the midst of a comprehensive, years-long economic, engineering and environmental study to find the optimum depth of Jacksonville's federal channel. With favorable study results, this project's timeline could coincide with the expansion of the Panama Canal over the next several years, positioning JAXPORT as the first U.S. East Coast port of call for large vessels in the East-West trade lane.
For more information about Jacksonville's harbor deepening project, please email us or contact us by telephone at (904) 357-3080.
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