La conexión exacta: JAXPORT expands reach for Latin America trade

By Marcia Pledger

JAXPORT has long supported trade between Latin America and the United States, providing reliable ocean services and efficient inland access to key U.S. markets. Today, the port continues to strengthen those trade lanes for shippers across Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

For many customers, Jacksonville is la conexión exacta — a dependable gateway positioned to move cargo efficiently between origin and destination.

JAXPORT offers container service to 140 ports in 70 countries, including established and expanding routes throughout the Western Hemisphere. From Brazil and Colombia to Honduras, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, the port connects exporters and importers with one of the nation’s fastest-growing consumer markets.

Expanded Ocean Carrier Options

While JAXPORT offers 28 total services to Latin America for multiple cargo types, here are a few highlights of several weekly container services connecting Jacksonville to ports throughout Latin America, including:

• • Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk offers the service to South America, linking Jacksonville with multiple ports in Brazil and Argentina, as well as the Gemini service to Cartagena, Colombia for global transshipment connections and another Gemini service that offers transshipment connections to Europe and the west coast of South America.

• • A service offered through MSC connects Jacksonville to Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, including The Bahamas, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Costa Rica.

• • Crowley, an ocean carrier and JAXPORT terminal operator, provides two Central America services: a northern zone serving Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, and a southern zone serving Costa Rica and Panama.

Imports commonly include textiles and apparel, food and agricultural products, raw materials and machinery. Outbound cargo moving through Jacksonville includes vehicles, forest products, chemicals and other manufactured goods supporting economic growth throughout Latin America.

A Dedicated Expert for Latin America

Strengthening relationships across the region, JAXPORT recently welcomed Juan Pablo Acosta Magaña as Director of Cargo Sales for Latin America.

“When I first read about the position, I said to myself, ‘this role has my name on it,’” he said. “It brings together everything I enjoy most — working with customers, solving logistics challenges and helping companies find new opportunities to grow their business.”

With more than 20 years of experience in international trade and logistics — including leadership roles with Maersk Line, Hamburg Süd and Hapag-Lloyd — Juan Pablo brings deep regional expertise and a strong understanding of global shipping networks.

“What I enjoy most is working directly with customers to understand their supply chain and then finding solutions that help them move cargo more efficiently,” he said. “Every customer’s needs are a little different, and often there are creative ways to leverage JAXPORT’s services, carrier network and inland connections to make their logistics work even better.”

Originally from Venezuela, Juan Pablo works closely with shippers, ocean carriers and freight forwarders throughout Latin America and major U.S. logistics hubs to ensure customers fully leverage Jacksonville’s capabilities.

“With our capacity, container capabilities and strategic location, many companies are looking at JAXPORT either as their primary port or as a way to diversify their supply chains,” he said. “My role is to help them understand how Jacksonville can fit into their logistics strategy and deliver the service and reliability they need.”

Juan Pablo and other JAXPORT executives will visit several Latin American markets throughout the spring to meet with current and potential customers and showcase Jacksonville’s advantages.

Latin America also includes Puerto Rico, JAXPORT’s largest trading partner. Dedicated sales director Alberta Cabrera supports customers in this vital trade lane.

Cold Chain Excellence for Perishable and Refrigerated Cargo

JAXPORT continues to see strong demand for refrigerated cargo moving to and from Latin America, following years of investment in Jacksonville’s cold chain capabilities.

“JAXPORT partners have built millions cubic feet of refrigerated cargo space in recent years, and nearly all of this new storage capacity is close to the port,” said JAXPORT Director of Cargo Sales Joyssy Woody. “Temperature-controlled cargo has special handling and infrastructure needs, and JAXPORT has the warehousing and reefer plugs in place to serve customers efficiently.”

Modern terminals, dedicated reefer infrastructure and strong inland connections help protect cold-chain integrity at every transfer point — from vessel discharge to final destination.

Port partners provide end-to-end service, including order picking and freight consolidation, blast freezing, and USDA inspection.

They also offer monitoring and tracking for refrigerated cargo, providing real-time visibility into container status and temperature. For exporters in the Andes Mountains, Central America and the Caribbean, this means confidence that perishables arrive on time and in optimal condition.

Let’s Connect

With same-day access to 98 million consumers, modern infrastructure and outstanding highway and rail connections, JAXPORT is la conexión exacta — the exact place and network to keep Latin America–U.S. trade moving forward.

Meet Juan Pablo and Joyssy at Intermodal South America April 14-16 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event is the largest event in the Americas – and the second largest in the world – in freight transport, logistics, intralogistics, and foreign trade.

Contact:

Containers:
Juan Pablo Acosta Magaña
(904) 357-3370
Juan.Acosta@JAXPORT.com

Refrigerated cargo:
Joyssy Woody
(904) 357-3059
Joyssy.Woody@jaxport.com