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New Panama Canal era at Jaxport

It’s a new era at Jaxport. The port welcomed the first containership to travel through the newly expanded Panama Canal.

It’s a new era, says Brian Taylor with Jaxport. It all starts with the MOL Majesty Container Ship.

Our cameras got an up close and personal look from the ground and from the sky using Sky Action News Jax, the only news chopper in Jacksonville. It’s a sight, Taylor said you can see more of.

“We’re going to see an increase in number of these vessels in the future,” said Brian Taylor with Jaxport.

Taylor says that future can only happen, if Jaxport takes some drastic measures.

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“If we want to stay on the game, if we want to remain in the Asia Pacific business, it's going to require us to deepen our channel to accommodate larger ships going forward,” said Taylor.

Jaxport is only 40 feet deep, compared to Miami’s port which is 50 feet deep and Savannah’s port is 42 feet deep.

“This ship here actually comes to us lightly loaded so this vessel stopped in Miami, which has a 50 foot draft.This vessel then heads up to Savannah which is currently at 42 feet with 6 foot tide, so they're able to accommodate more cargo on the ship than we are,” said Taylor.

Jaxport leaders say the deepening project is vital for Jaxport.

“Ships don't like to back track, it takes time and money and fuel, it's not a good business decision to back track,” said Dennis Kelly with Trapac.

Jaxport hopes to start the deepening project in the early part of 2017 and complete it in 2020 or 2021.