Does Port of Jacksonville Really Need a Deep Water Port?

The City, Port of Jax, State of Florida, Congress, and business concerns are asking about a reality check as to the wisdom of investing in a deep water port to be competitive with Savanna, Charleston, Miami and Tamps sea ports. Is there truly a return on investment for such a huge capital outlay?

Yet, I have not read anything about marketing our port's  existing  dredged channels' depth and our port as the best operations to support all the smaller freighter traffic which will always continue to operated for many years beyond.

If as predicted, there will be a rapid increase in the number super large container ships, , then, I say, let them all go to the other fore mentioned ports.  Thus with the super container ships' arrivals to those ports, their lengthy new hulls will consume all the lineal dock footage, require longer loading and unloading times and will plug up each port's service centers and awaiting harbor moorings areas.  Those ports will be so jammed up with dockage and traffic issues, the smaller freighters will seek out alternative easy out and in port services such as Jacksonville.  The smaller freighter's are conscientious  about in port lay over times because of their quest of time efficiency will result in dollars saved for them, too.

Here is the rational thought: 
Not every business needs to service prime geographical locations, nor can every port service just focus on prime super freighters' traffic..  In the business  world there are a lot of business activities in the secondary markets  and so often business marketing administrators cannot visualize generating revenues beyond the big city lights or super freighters..

In my opinion,  the Port of Jacksonville should immediately begin marketing, Jacksonville Port as the Little Ships' Port of Call, Easy In and Easy Out. Our new logo "Jax Port is the little ship's big port of Call".  I believe with the focus of attracting greater numbers of the soon to be displaced smaller freighters from the big deep draft ports, Jax Port will create more port fees and require additional on site labor by attracting greater numbers of smaller freighters' entering the port and have available dockage for all of the"Not so Big Freighter's."

A.John Richwine CCIM
Business and Real Estate Investments Intermediary
Coldwell Banker Commercial Benchmark
Office Jacksonville