Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) has announced a new record with the arrival of the ONE Stork, marking the largest container ship to ever call Jacksonville.
The ship is operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE) within THE Alliance network and has a carrying capacity of 14,000 TEUs. This marks a significant capacity increase from the previous record-setting ship, which had a capacity of 11,923 TEUs.
The ONE Stork is the first of nine larger vessels that will call JAXPORT weekly through the EC5 container service operated by THE Alliance.
Effective May 2023, THE Alliance has upsized the vessels used in the service, replacing smaller ships with six larger 14,000-TEU and three larger 13,000-TEU vessels. The upgraded vessel sizes average a 60% increase in container carrying capacity over previous ships.
As part of the upsizing, the EC5 service now calls the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal (JCT) at Blount Island, utilizing the terminal’s newly-deepened 47-foot harbor, which provides the draft needed to accommodate larger vessels.
The port continues to make infrastructure improvements in support of JAXPORT’s mission to create jobs and economic opportunity for Northeast Florida.
JAXPORT marked the completion of the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project in May 2022. The project involved deepening 11 miles of the federal shipping channel to Blount Island to a depth of 47 feet, from its previous depth of 40 feet, allowing larger ships to call Blount Island and existing ships calling Jacksonville to carry more cargo on board. The project also included a new turning basin allowing larger vessels to turn around at Blount Island berths.
“Pursuing major projects like the JAXPORT Harbor Deepening Project have helped secure Florida as a leader in transportation and supply chain capabilities,” commented Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “These investments are paying huge dividends for Floridians and all the people our seaports serve, which extends far beyond state lines.”
JAXPORT CEO Eric Green said ONE Stork’s arrival represents another milestone for Jacksonville’s port and community.
“Harbor deepening and the other investments that have been made in our port provide the capability for these larger vessels to call Jacksonville, supporting jobs and economic impact throughout our region and state,” said Green. “We are grateful for the partnership we have with our THE Alliance partners and look forward to their continued growth and success in Jacksonville.”
Later this summer, the SSA JCT will welcome three new 100-gauge container cranes as part of a modernization of the Blount Island terminal.
“We look forward to welcoming more services to this growing gateway as we continue to invest,” said Lauren Offenbecher, President of SSA Conventional.
“Setting the record for the largest vessel to call Jacksonville is truly a success story from investing in our seaports and the need for a robust supply chain network,” added Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E.
EC5 port rotation includes Laem Chabang (Thailand), Cai Mep (Vietnam), Singapore, Colombo (Sri Lanka), Suez Canal, Halifax (Canada), New York, Savannah, Jacksonville, Norfolk, and Halifax.
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The Port of Los Angeles handled a record 1,042,652 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in September, marking the busiest month in its 118-year history as strong consumer demand and shifting global...
The Port of Los Angeles reported its best single month in its history. In a media briefing, port executive director Gene Seroka announced the port processed 1,042,652 TEUs, 23k TEUs more than the July 2025 record.
U.S. container imports are finally beginning to slow after an unusually long peak shipping season that stretched through the summer and into early fall, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates. The slowdown comes after months of stronger-than-expected cargo volumes at major U.S. ports, as retailers continued bringing in merchandise despite tariffs, inflation and higher transportation costs. Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, up 0.4% from July but down 0.7% from a year earlier. August now appears to have been the busiest month of 2026, marking a shift from last month’s forecast that September would take the top spot. “Even with any fluctuations in final data, we’re likely past the busiest part of the year,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “The truth is that the peak season started early and was stretched out through the summer and early fall, with the difference from month to month often amounting to little more than a rounding error,” Gold said. The latest forecast puts September imports at 2.28 million TEUs, down from the 2.31 million TEUs projected a month ago. October is expected to ease further to 2.25 million TEUs before volumes fall to 2 million TEUs in November. Despite the expected slowdown, imports are still running well ahead of last year in some months. September volumes are forecast to rise 8.2% year over year, followed by an 8.5% increase in October. The revised outlook follows a peak season that has repeatedly defied expectations. Retailers moved merchandise into the country earlier this year to get ahead of tariff changes and supply chain uncertainty, initially raising expectations that imports would peak early and decline through the summer. Instead, volumes remained elevated, with shipping delays and resilient consumer demand helping extend the traditional peak season. The strength has been evident at individual ports. The Port of Los Angeles recorded its busiest three-month stretch on record during June, July and August, while the Port of Savannah reported a record September earlier this week, handling 504,015 TEUs, up 3.7% from a year earlier. Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said the economic outlook remains mixed, with consumers continuing to spend despite signs of weakening confidence. “Despite this, consumers appear to remain confident and cautious at the same time, with consumer confidence indexes sliding to multi-year lows while consumer spending continues to be robust in the face of increasing inflation,” Hackett said. For the full year, Global Port Tracker now expects imports at major U.S. container ports to reach 25.8 million TEUs, up 1.4% from 25.4 million TEUs in 2025. That is slightly above last month’s forecast of 25.7 million TEUs. Looking ahead, January 2027 imports are forecast at 2.07 million TEUs, down 1.9% year over year, followed by 1.92 million TEUs in February, up 1%. For retailers, the extended shipping season means much of the merchandise needed for the holidays is already in the country, reducing the need for another major import surge before year-end. “Most holiday merchandise has arrived, and the remainder of the year is just a matter of last-minute replenishment and preparation for early 2027,” Gold said.
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