The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) has welcomed the Sapphire, the inaugural vessel to call at Jacksonville under the new ZCP-Amberjack container service jointly offered by ZIM Integrated Shipping Services and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
The new weekly service enhances Jacksonville’s direct connectivity with major Asian container hubs while expanding access to Latin America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean through extensive transshipment links.
The service calls at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal on the following rotation: Qingdao – Ningbo – Shanghai (China) – Busan (South Korea) – Manzanillo (Panama) – Cartagena (Colombia) – Charleston – Savannah – Jacksonville – Kingston (Jamaica) – Busan.
For importers, the service offers competitive transit times of approximately 28 to 32 days from North Asia. Through ZIM’s transshipment hubs at Kingston, Jamaica, and Cartagena, Colombia, customers also benefit from onward connections to additional international markets, including the west coast of South America.
The new rotation further expands connectivity to:
- Latin America: Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Guyana.
- Caribbean: Aruba (a first-time connection), Curaçao and Panama.
- Mediterranean: Italy, Greece, Israel and Egypt.
- Asia: Enhanced links to China, Vietnam and Singapore.
“We’re proud to continue building on our longstanding partnership with ZIM and MSC as they expand their service offerings at JAXPORT,” said Robert Peek, Chief Commercial Officer, JAXPORT. “This new service provides our customers with reliable connections to key Asian markets and expanded access to international destinations through an established global network. These enhanced capabilities help our customers move cargo more efficiently while strengthening Jacksonville’s role as a gateway for global trade.”
The vessels deployed on the ZCP-Amberjack service are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), supporting lower-emission shipping operations. Jacksonville’s LNG bunkering capability enables the vessels to refuel during their port calls, further strengthening the port’s position as a hub for sustainable maritime operations.
Located in the southeastern United States, JAXPORT is Florida’s largest container port by volume and one of the country’s leading vehicle-handling ports. With a 47-foot-deep shipping channel, two-way vessel traffic and same-day access to nearly 98 million U.S. consumers, the port continues to enhance its role as a key gateway for international trade.
