The Tampa Port Authority (TPA) in Florida, the US, has announced the completion of the latest phase of the ongoing expansion of its container terminal, increasing the paved storage area from 25 to 40 acres.
The terminal now includes 2,100ft of berth length, three rail-mounted container gantry cranes and a 100-tonne mobile harbour crane, all on a 43ft deep-water channel, according to a press release from the group.
The next phase of expansion is already underway and includes a further extension of the container gantry crane rails and lengthening the berth to 2,800ft, to be completed this summer.
Together with terminal operator Ports America, TPA said it plans to quadruple the size of the terminal to over 160 acres over the next several years.
This planned build-out will be on adjacent land owned by TPA and ready to be developed as market demand grows, providing capacity to handle upwards of 1m TEUs per year, comfortably accommodating the long-term demands of the west central Florida market.
A primary driver of this investment is to position the Port for increased trade opportunities with Latin America, as well as Asia, as a result of the significant expansion of the Panama Canal which is currently underway.
Over the last several years, TPA said the Tampa/central Florida region has emerged as an important distribution centre gateway, and with 8m people, is one of the largest markets in the south-eastern US.
To further enhance the Port’s market access, the Florida Department of Transportation has begun construction on a new, dedicated truck ramp and elevated connector that when completed in 2013, will provide a direct link from the Port to the Interstate 4/Interstate 75 highway system, which connects Tampa with Orlando to the east and to Atlanta to the north.
No comments yet