Directly connects Port Everglades to South America's East Coast

Direct shipments from South America's east coast are arriving through Port Everglades via a renewed service from CSAV/LIBRA's Usatlan service. This is the second ocean shipping service in two months to begin direct service between Port Everglades and Brazil. CSAV/LIBRA's Usatlan service includes "K" Line, Hanjin, Yang Ming and Hamburg Sud. Bringer Lines, which also partners with "K" Line, began service in January. Florida International Terminal, LLC provides stevedoring and cargo handling for both services at Port Everglades. "This new service demonstrates our commitment to Port Everglades in our continuous efforts to provide quality service to our customers, while creating more jobs for the local community," said Jose A. Diaz, vice president and general manager for Florida International Terminal, LLC. "North-South trade routes are especially important in today's economic climate because there has been a softening in East-West trade," said Port Everglades Director Phillip C. Allen. "Port Everglades already captures more than a quarter of all the shipping trade coming into the southeastern United States from South America and these new services solidify our market share." CSAV/LIBRA's new rotation on the Usatlan service operates on a weekly schedule, with a 42-day round trip using six vessels with nominal capacity of 2,500 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The Usatlan rotation includes port calls in New York-New Jersey (Port Elizabeth), Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Port Everglades, Port of Spain, Santos, Sao Francisco do Sul, Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Port of Spain, and New York-New Jersey. "Port Everglades has been marketing strongly in Brazil with Broward County Commissioners Diana Wasserman-Rubin and Josephus Eggelletion visiting shipping executives in the country on separate occasions," said Carlos Buqueras, Port Everglades director of business development. "We are continuing to encourage further trade in the Amazon region." Brazil ranks as one of Florida's top trading partners, according to Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership organization devoted to statewide economic development. During 2007, approximately $13 billion worth of merchandise was exported and imported between Florida and Brazil. Brazil is one of Port Everglades' top 10 trading partners, generating approximately 400,000 tons of containerized cargo annually. Port Everglades is the leading container port in Florida. A world-class cargo handling facility, Port Everglades serves as an ideal point of entry for products shipped to and from Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe and the Far East. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system, is within two miles of the FEC rail hub and is just one mile from the Atlantic Shipping Lanes. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades will have the ability to handle the Port's growing container traffic.