JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that Singapore-based shipping company Sea-Lead will now service the Port of Jacksonville, part of an East Coast expansion.
JAXPORT leaders are also working to deepen their harbor in order to welcome larger ships, DeSantis said, framing the announcement as an example of how Florida is “part of the solution” in remedying national supply chain issues without turning to the federal government.
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“Companies have been looking for a way to avoid the congestion and backup that they faced at the Port of Long Beach (California), and they chose JAXPORT,” DeSantis said. “This will be the first U.S. East Coast container service for the company, and Jacksonville will serve as the last port of call on Sea-Lead’s Asia-East Coast rotation connecting Jacksonville to four locations in Asia.”
On the East Coast, the privately-owned global shipping company will also service Port Newark in New Jersey, the Port of Virginia in Norfolk and the Port of Charleston in South Carolina, according to its website.
Sea-Lead has not said if it is closing or even altering its California route, though a company spokesperson at the news conference called the announcement “a real success because we had a difficult time in the West Coast,” and wished for a “long-term relationship” with JAXPORT.