Jacksonville-based carrier Trailer Bridge and terminal operator Ports America have entered a 10-year agreement covering stevedoring services and terminal technology deployment for Trailer Bridge's Jones Act barge service linking Jacksonville with San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Jones Act, a century-old U.S. cabotage law, requires cargo moving between American ports to travel on U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged, and U.S.-crewed vessels, which makes the Puerto Rico trade the preserve of a small group of domestic carriers and terminal operators.

Under the deal, Ports America assumes responsibility for cargo handling at Trailer Bridge's Blount Island terminal at Jaxport and will implement its Dockworks terminal operating system to improve cargo tracking and supply-chain visibility for customers. The contract includes two optional five-year extensions, creating a potential 20-year operating horizon.

Ports America will supply stevedoring labor and terminal expertise for Trailer Bridge's Jacksonville operation, consolidating cargo-handling functions under a single North American terminal operator with experience in ro-ro, breakbulk, and Jones Act trades. The company will also roll out its Dockworks terminal operating system at the Jacksonville facility, with customer-facing visibility tools expected to come online in 2027. The technology investment is intended to give shippers better real-time information on trailer and container movements along the Jacksonville-San Juan lane. The push toward digital terminal systems reflects a broader trend among port and terminal operators to replace paper-based and fragmented cargo-tracking processes with platform-based visibility tools.

The arrangement reinforces Jacksonville's position as a primary mainland gateway for Puerto Rico-bound freight, providing the port with a long-term, technology-enabled operating framework for a major Jones Act customer. The partners expect the shared terminal platform to reduce handoffs, improve equipment utilization, and create a more predictable service profile for shippers that depend on the Jacksonville-San Juan corridor. Because Puerto Rico relies on ocean transport for the vast majority of its consumer goods and other freight, service reliability on this lane has direct implications for the island's supply chain.

The agreement follows other recent momentum at the port. In July, Zim and Mediterranean Shipping Co. made their first call at Jacksonville as part of the new ZCP-Amberjack container service, which links major container gateways in Asia with expanded access through connections to Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean.

Trailer Bridge operates an asset-light transportation model centered on domestic ocean service to Puerto Rico, along with international freight forwarding and U.S. government logistics. The long-term stevedoring and technology agreement is designed to stabilize operations on one of the most active Jones Act routes by tying physical terminal handling to a modern terminal system.

Ports America, which operates container, ro-ro, vehicle, military, and cruise terminals across North America, said the partnership extends its footprint in Jones Act cargo handling and supports efforts to improve reliability and transparency on the Puerto Rico trade.

Source: FreightWaves