CSX Trains Dramatically Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions By

Harbor Deepening
Jacksonville’s main shipping channel is a 21-mile stretch of
the St. Johns River extending from the Atlantic Ocean to
JAXPORT’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal just north of downtown
Jacksonville.
As the owner and manager of Jacksonville’s public ship terminals,
JAXPORT considers maintaining a deep harbor essential to
keeping Jacksonville’s port viable. A competitive harbor depth
allows Jacksonville to accommodate the draft requirements of
fully-loaded cargo vessels which currently call Jacksonville’s port,
and meet the needs of new, even larger cargo ships which will
seek to call Jacksonville in the future.
While the federal channel along the St. Johns River is maintained
at a depth of 40 feet, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is
currently considering two harbor projects. The first project would
improve the flow of the St. Johns River at Mile Point, where intracoastal
and river currents pose navigational hindrances for deep
draft vessels during certain tidal conditions.
The second project would meet the needs of larger cargo ships
projected to call Jacksonville later this
decade. Toward that end, the Corps
is in the midst of a comprehensive,
years-long economic, engineering
and environmental study to find the
optimum depth of Jacksonville’s
federal channel. With favorable
study results, this project’s timeline
could coincide with the expansion
of the Panama Canal over the next
several years, positioning JAXPORT
as the first U.S. East Coast port of
call for large vessels in the East-West
trade lane.
For more information about
harbor deepening, visit:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers –
Jacksonville District
www.saj.usace.army.mil
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