JaxPort welcomes Asia container service with the Sapphire’s arrival (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Daily Record) — JaxPort announced July 14 it had begun handling more cargo from two new ocean carriers, ZIM Line (pictured above) and Mediterranean Shipping Co., with the arrival of their vessel, the Sapphire.
The Sapphire is the first ship to call on Jacksonville as part of the carriers’ new ZCP-Amberjack route, according to a JaxPort news release.
The ship will connect Jacksonville to nine ports in six countries, including other U.S. ports as well as stops in China, Colombia, Jamaica, Panama and South Korea. For importers, the service offers transit times of 28 to 32 days from North Asia.
“This new service provides our customers with reliable connections to key Asian markets and expanded access to international destinations through an established global network,” Chief Commercial Officer Robert Peek said in a news release.
“These enhanced capabilities help our customers move cargo more efficiently while strengthening Jacksonville’s role as a gateway for global trade.”
The Sapphire also connects Jacksonville to Aruba, Curaçao, Ecuador, Greece, Guyana, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Peru, Singapore, Venezuela and Vietnam through transshipment services, the process of unloading cargo from one vessel to another and using the second vessel to complete the cargo’s journey.
Photo courtesy of JaxPort