This magenta-colored ship holds the key to Jacksonville's port capitalizing on deep water
Anyone on or near the St. Johns River between the Atlantic Ocean and the Dames Point bridge on Tuesday might have seen a magenta-painted mega-ship sailing to the Blount Island Terminal.
It won't be the last time that sight appears on the river. The One Stork is the largest cargo ship to ever call on Jacksonville. Once a week, ships at or near its size will arrive at the Blount Island terminal as part of a nine-vessel rotation operated by the shipping line Ocean Network Express.
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What cargo will the ship carry?
One Stork is the length of nearly four football fields and can hold up to 14,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) or containers, 2,000 more than the largest ships to previously call on the port.
JaxPort says the cargo on board One Stork will be consumer items that could include furniture, electronics, appliances and medical equipment. Exports that would go through JaxPort could be forest products, resin and clay.
As big as the ship is, the real measure of its impact will be how tall the stacks of cargo containers rise on the docks as a result of One Stork because that's what generates land-based jobs for workers in Northeast Florida. The port rotation will cover 11 stops between the East Coast of North America and Asia.
Where will One Stork dock in Jacksonville?
If you're driving northbound over the Dames Point bridge, you would see One Stork to your right when its in Jacksonville.
One Stork and its sister ships will use the SSA Marine terminal that's being upgraded to handle more cargo from ships that come up the river after the completion of a $420 million project to deepen 11 miles of the St. Johns River to 47 feet.
This summer, Blount Island will get three new container cranes to handle the cargo from big ships.
"We look forward to welcoming more services to this growing gateway as we continue to invest," said Lauren Offenbecher, president of the SSA Conventional.
Why is the ship painted magenta?
Aside from its size, the color of One Stork sets it apart from the ships that travel up and down the St. Johns River.
When One Stork made its maiden call at Singapore in 2018, a company executive said the magenta color is "very symbolic of our new company's independent and innovative approach to global container shipping."
"Magenta we also hope will improve safety and make the One Stork, and her sister ships, much more visible t all the many other vessels that may pass her in close proximity over the course of her full trading life," the executive said.
Gary T. Mills of the Times-Union contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: One Stork ship from Singapore sets record for Jacksonville port
