U.K.-based Ellerman City Liners is now offering direct container service at the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) to-from three destinations in Europe. Ellerman will begin calling the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal with the arrival of the containership SC Mara in late December.

The bi-weekly service offers premium transit times of 13 to 17 days from North Europe to Jacksonville. The port rotation will be Antwerp, Belgium; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Tilbury, England; New York, NY; Wilmington, NC; and Jacksonville, Fla.

SSA Atlantic will provide stevedoring services at Blount Island.

Ellerman will begin calling the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal at Blount Island with the sailing of SC Mara in late December.

Based in Upminster, England, located just east of London, Ellerman was originally founded in the 19th century by John Reeves Ellerman, becoming one of the biggest and most recognizable shipping lines of the British Merchant Navy. By the early 21st century, following a series of ownership changes, the company name changed, too, until Ellerman City Liners relaunched in 2021.

"Jacksonville has a strong relationship with the city of London, and we are proud to build on that partnership by offering a new direct trans-Atlantic container service from a UK-based ocean carrier," said JAXPORT Director of Ocean Carrier Development Joyssy Woody. "Jacksonville's location, the capabilities of our port partners, and lack of congestion continue to attract the interest of ocean carriers like Ellerman looking to take advantage of JAXPORT’s efficiencies."

The service will move a variety of consumer goods through JAXPORT, such as auto parts, clothing, and wine and spirits, while providing export capabilities for made-in-U.S. goods, including forest products.

For booking information, contact Peter Andrews with Ellerman at [email protected].

Located in the heart of the Southeast U.S., JAXPORT is Florida’s No. 1 container port by volume and one of the nation’s top vehicle-handling ports. Jacksonville offers a 47-foot deepwater shipping channel, two-way ship traffic with no berth or terminal congestion, and same-day access to 98 million U.S. consumers.