ZIM Line and MSC add JAXPORT to Asia container service rotation

The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) welcomes the Sapphire, the first vessel to call Jacksonville as part of the ZCP-Amberjack container service offered by ocean carriers ZIM Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

The weekly service strengthens Jacksonville's connections with major container gateways across Asia while providing shippers with expanded access to Latin America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean through connecting services.

The service calls JAXPORT's Blount Island Marine Terminal weekly on the following rotation: Qingdao, Ningbo and Shanghai, China; Busan, South Korea; Manzanillo, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville; Kingston, Jamaica; and Busan, South Korea.

For importers, the service offers transit times of approximately 28 to 32 days from North Asia. Through ZIM’s transshipment hubs in Kingston, Jamaica and Cartagena, Colombia, customers also gain efficient onward connections to additional international markets, including the west coast of South America.

Beyond its direct Asia service, the new rotation expands shipping options through transshipment services to:

• Latin America, including Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Guyana
• The Caribbean, including first-time connectivity to Aruba, along with Curaçao and Panama
• The Mediterranean, with access to ports in Italy, Greece, Israel and Egypt
• Asia, with strengthened connectivity to China, Vietnam and Singapore

"We're proud to continue building on our longstanding partnership with ZIM and MSC as they expand their service offerings at JAXPORT," said JAXPORT Chief Commercial Officer Robert Peek. "This new service provides our customers with reliable connections to key Asian markets and expanded access to international destinations through an established global network. These enhanced capabilities help our customers move cargo more efficiently while strengthening Jacksonville's role as a gateway for global trade."

The vessels deployed in the service are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), a cleaner marine fuel, and can be bunkered during their Jacksonville port calls.