By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOTWith an eye toward increasing container trade associated with the projected 2014 completion of expansion of the Panama Canal, a number of port authorities on the Florida Gulf are advancing efforts to enhance their ability to move containerized cargo. Looking individually at ports along the Florida Gulf, starting at the entrance to Tampa Bay and continuing north then west along the Panhandle: PORT MANATEE A newly acquired mobile container crane is elevating the box-handling capabilities at Port Manatee, located near the entrance to Tampa Bay. The $3.9 million unit, which began operation in December, was bought through a partnership between Port Manatee, Florida Department of Transportation District 1 and Logistec Corp., which furnishes stevedoring for major tenant Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. Port Manatee, which is being promoted as the closest US deepwater port to the Panama Canal, also is benefiting from increased warehouse capacity for forest products and other goods, as well as from two new berths. Future plans call for a dedicated highway link to Interstate 75, while advancement of an encouragement zone aims to provide economic stimuli for port-related development of nearby tracts as large as 788 acres. PORT OF TAMPA Propelled by emergence of distribution centers serving a market of 8 million consumers within 100 miles of the port, containers continue to be the fastest-growing segment at the Port of Tampa, where total berth length at Hooker’s Point Container Terminal has just been extended 300 feet, to 1,800 feet. The port’s container services include weekly Zim Integrated Shipping sailings from Asia. Coming in July is Peruvian Amazon Line service with Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Peru. Tampa’s port hasn’t, however, neglected its traditional bulk cargo strength, with key commodities including citrus pellets, scrap metals, phosphates and fertilizer products. Building on its status as Florida’s largest steel gateway, the Tampa Port Authority joined customer Titan Metal Service in celebrating the February opening of a 50,000-square-foot steel coil processing facility. Also, OneSteel Recycling opened in May a $25 million steel scrap facility and scrap shredder on an expanded port footprint. PORT OF PORT ST. JOE Port revitalization efforts of the small Florida Panhandle town of Port St. Joe have gained traction of late. A contract has been awarded for bulkheading and dredging at the waterfront of the port’s 68-acre startup site, and additional adjacent acreage is being sought proximate to the ship channel. Letters of commitment have been received from three customers intent upon shipping through the port, according to port officials, who are encouraged by the pace of customer inquiries and are confident trade growth, united community support and state funding will continue to contribute to progress. PORT PANAMA CITY USA While bulk and breakbulk cargos continue to dominate activity at Port Panama City USA, the mid-Panhandle port’s newly adopted five-year master plan calls for a threefold expansion of container-handling capabilities, from a current 50,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units a year to some 150,000 teus annually. July is anticipated to mark the commencement of exports from the Panama City port of wood pellets from a Greencircle Bioenergy plant in nearby Jackson County. The newly opened plant is expected to produce as many as 500,000 tons a year of the pellets for export. Meanwhile, the port’s exports of kraft linerboard to Central America are projected for 20% growth this year, to 180,000 tons. PORT OF PENSACOLA Northwest Florida’s Port of Pensacola is keeping busy this summer with shipments of wind turbine generator systems that are being delivered, primarily by CSX rail, to a new wind farm development project in Fowler, Ind. Over the course of 16 weeks, Pate Stevedores is looking to work seven BBC Chartering vessels carrying a total of 182 of the systems, made by Ves