Port Everglades is to embark on a US$437.5m expansion project to add new berths for larger cargo ships and install crane rail infrastructure for new Super Post-Panamax cranes.
The scheme, the most expensive capital improvement agreement in the port’s history, will bring much needed extra capacity at Florida’s leading containerised cargo port.
The Southport Turning Notch Expansion (STNE) project will lengthen the existing deepwater turn-around area for cargo ships from approximately 900ft to 2,400ft, which will allow for up to five new cargo berths.
The existing gantry crane rails will be extended to the full length of the extended Turning Notch berth to utilise the existing cranes.
A separate agreement to purchase three new Super Post-Panamax container gantry cranes, to be delivered in 2019, and an option to buy two or three additional cranes will be presented to the authorities in June.
“STNE was identified as a critical project in our 2006 master/vision plan. We will now be able to meet the demands of our current customers and attract new customers,” said Steven Cernak, the port’s CEO.
At the crossroads of north-south and east-west trade, Port Everglades serves as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, handling more than 1m TEUs a year.
The port is also in the heart of one of the world’s largest consumer regions, with 6m residents within an 80-mile radius.
It has direct access to the interstate highway system and the Florida East Coast Railway’s 43-acre intermodal container transfer facility, and is closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other south eastern US port.
“Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades continues to handle future growth in container traffic,” the port said in a press release.
“A world-class cargo handling facility, the port serves as an ideal point of entry and departure for products shipped around the world.”
