JacksonvilleBusinessNews.com | Ports & Logistics | Updated September 10, 2026
Quick Answer
JAXPORT’s published Terminal Tariff No. 2025, in effect through September 30, 2026, charges container wharfage of $4.17 to $5.98 per short ton (about $85 to $120 for a loaded 40-foot box), dockage of $7.45 to $13.68 per linear foot per day for container and breakbulk vessels, a $9.27 per-container security fee, and $0.78 per ton terminal use. The 47-foot deepwater channel through Blount Island, completed in 2022, lets post-Panamax ships call fully loaded; the remaining constraint, a 175-foot air draft at the Fulton Cut power lines, rises to 205 feet by the end of 2026.
How Is JAXPORT Structured and What Did It Move in 2025?
JAXPORT operates three cargo terminals on the St. Johns River, 12.5 nautical miles from the Atlantic, and set a container record in fiscal 2025 with 1,388,841 TEUs, up 4% from 1,340,412 in FY 2024. The port is Florida’s largest container port and one of the nation’s largest vehicle-handling ports.
| Metric | FY 2025 (Oct 2024–Sept 2025) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Containers | 1,388,841 TEUs | +4% |
| Vehicles | 506,237 units | -0.6% (89 acres out of service during Toyota rebuild) |
| Total cargo | 10 million+ tons | — |
| Operating revenue | ~$76 million | +9% |
| Jobs supported (statewide) | 258,800 | — |
| Annual economic impact | ~$44 billion | — |
| Channel depth (Blount Island) | 47 feet | Completed May 2022 |
| Container capacity after 2025 upgrades | ~2 million TEUs/year | Roughly doubled |
| Terminal | Primary Cargo | Key Operators |
|---|---|---|
| Blount Island Marine Terminal | Containers, autos, breakbulk | SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal; Southeast Toyota Distributors; Enstructure (breakbulk) |
| Dames Point Marine Terminal | Containers (Asia), autos; Intermodal Container Transfer Facility | TraPac; ICTF rail transfer |
| Talleyrand Marine Terminal | Breakbulk, autos, Puerto Rico/Caribbean containers, liquid bulk | Crowley, TOTE, Enstructure |
What are the current commercial shipping fees and container rates at JAXPORT?
Under Tariff No. 2025 (effective October 1, 2025), a container vessel over 500 feet pays $13.68 per linear foot per day in dockage if over 625 feet, plus $5.98 per short ton wharfage on containerized cargo, $25.69 per empty container, $9.27 per container in security fees, and $0.78 per ton terminal use. Ocean freight rates themselves are set by carriers and are separate from these port charges.
Dockage (per linear foot, per day)
| Vessel Type | Working Rate | Idle Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Container/breakbulk, 500 ft or less | $7.45 | $3.73 |
| Container/breakbulk, 500–625 ft | $10.95 | $5.48 |
| Container/breakbulk, over 625 ft | $13.68 | $6.84 |
| Vehicle (Ro/Ro) vessels | $14.16 | $7.08 |
| Tanker, cruise, all others | $16.08 | $8.04 |
| Barges, container/trailer/vehicle | $9.41 | $4.71 |
Dockage is billed on an initial 24-hour period, then prorated in 6-hour increments.
Wharfage (per short ton unless noted)
| Cargo | Rate |
|---|---|
| Container cargo, vessels over 500 ft | $5.98 |
| Container cargo, vessels 500 ft or less | $4.17 |
| Empty containers, each | $25.69 |
| Breakbulk, vessels over 500 ft | $5.98 |
| Breakbulk, vessels 500 ft or less | $4.27 |
| Automobiles, new, per unit | $6.88 |
| Automobiles, used, per unit | $11.93 |
| Dry bulk | $3.41 |
| Liquid bulk to pipeline | $2.55 |
| Heavy lift, 100,000–300,000 lbs | $10.28 |
| Heavy lift, over 300,000 lbs | $12.74 + engineering |
| Wheeled units, other | $11.66 |
Other per-call and per-container charges
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Terminal use, all cargo except heavy lift | $0.78 per 2,000-lb ton |
| Terminal use, heavy lift | $3.41 per ton |
| Security fee, container vessels | $9.27 per container |
| Security fee, other vessels | $4.63 per linear foot LOA |
| Harbor administration fee, vessel over 200 ft | $318.35 per call |
| Container crane rental | $1,112.50/hour ($1,198.08 overtime) |
| Container crane standby | $296.90/hour |
| Reefer plug | $68.48 per plug per day |
| Fresh water to vessel | $5.14 per short ton |
| Failure to vacate berth | $30,000 per hour |
Worked example: 800-foot container ship, 24 hours at Blount Island, discharging 1,500 loaded 40-foot containers averaging 20 short tons
| Charge | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Dockage | 800 ft × $13.68 | $10,944 |
| Wharfage | 30,000 tons × $5.98 | $179,400 |
| Terminal use | 30,000 tons × $0.78 | $23,400 |
| Security | 1,500 × $9.27 | $13,905 |
| Harbor admin | per call | $318 |
| Total port charges | ~$228,000, or ~$152 per box |
Terminal handling (stevedoring) is billed separately by the terminal operator and is not in the JAXPORT tariff.
What does rail transfer and container storage cost at JAXPORT?
The Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at Dames Point charges $105 for the first lift to or from a railcar, with four business days of free time before storage charges of $24.20 to $55 per container per day begin. JAXPORT is served by CSX, Norfolk Southern and Florida East Coast Railway with roughly 40 daily trains.
| ICTF Charge | 20′ | 40′ | 45′ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free time | 4 business days | 4 business days | 4 business days |
| Storage, days 5–15 (per day) | $24.20 | $48.40 | $55.00 |
| Storage, beyond day 15 (per day) | $48.40 | $96.80 | $110.00 |
| First lift to/from railcar | $105.00 | $105.00 | $105.00 |
| Supplemental lift | $118.95 | $118.95 | $118.95 |
| Demurrage (per 24 hours) | $28.47 | $28.47 | $28.47 |
| Inspection | $142.32 | ||
| Seal / placard | $28.47 / $37.58 |
Overflow land for cargo staging rents at $4,200 per acre per month paved, $3,675 stone, $3,150 unimproved, and $8,333.34 for hazardous cargo storage. Temporary warehouse space is $13.68 per square foot per year when available.
How does JAXPORT’s harbor deepening affect cargo turnaround times in Northeast Florida?
The 47-foot channel, completed to Blount Island in May 2022 more than three years ahead of schedule, eliminated the draft restrictions that previously forced post-Panamax ships to arrive light-loaded or wait for tide, and a new turning basin lets them turn at the berth rather than transiting farther upriver. Combined with 2,400 feet of rebuilt berth that handles two post-Panamax ships at once and six 100-gauge cranes, the result is two-way river traffic with no berth congestion.
| Factor | Before Deepening | After (2022–2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Channel depth to Blount Island | 40 ft | 47 ft |
| Post-Panamax vessel loading | Restricted by draft and tide | Full load, any tide |
| Turning | Upriver transit required | New turning basin at Blount Island |
| Simultaneous post-Panamax berths at SSA JCT | 1 | 2 |
| SSA JCT annual capacity | ~260,000 TEUs | 650,000+ TEUs (after $72M yard project, 2025) |
| Container cranes at SSA JCT | 3 | 6 (100-gauge, electric) |
| Air draft at Fulton Cut | 175 ft | 205 ft by end of 2026 |
| Ocean-to-berth distance | 12.5 nautical miles | Unchanged |
Turnaround benefits are concentrated at Blount Island; the channel above Dames Point to Talleyrand remains 40 feet, which is adequate for the Puerto Rico, Caribbean and breakbulk services based there. The 205-foot air draft project, funded jointly by JAXPORT, the City of Jacksonville and JEA, is the last piece needed for the largest Asia-service vessels to reach Blount Island.
What Foreign Trade Zone fees does JAXPORT charge?
JAXPORT is the grantee of Foreign Trade Zone No. 64, and its tariff sets application and activation fees at $2,500 each, an activated-site annual fee of $10,000, and a $1,000 annual fee for approved but deactivated sites. FTZ status lets importers defer, reduce or eliminate U.S. duties on goods stored, assembled or manufactured within the zone.
| FTZ No. 64 Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application (new site, modification or expansion) | $2,500 |
| Activation by CBP | $2,500 |
| Activated annual fee | $10,000 |
| Non-activated annual fee | $1,000 |
With effective U.S. tariff rates near 7% in mid-2026 and a 10% Section 122 surcharge on most imports, FTZ inverted-tariff and re-export savings have become material for Jacksonville distributors and manufacturers; our companion article on Cecil Commerce Center covers the manufacturing case in detail.
What changed at JAXPORT in 2025 and 2026?
Fiscal 2025 closed out a $250 million Blount Island modernization, including the SSA container terminal expansion and Southeast Toyota’s new 89-acre processing facility, which opened December 1, 2025. Breakbulk operator Enstructure backfilled Toyota’s former 79 acres under a 30-year lease and took over a 240,000-square-foot on-dock warehouse.
- Container capacity doubled to about 2 million TEUs annually with the SSA JCT at 650,000+ TEUs.
- New $54 million Ro/Ro berth at Blount Island due in 2027, complementing $63 million in vehicle-berth upgrades.
- Air draft to 205 feet by end of 2026.
- Norwegian Cruise Line began seasonal service in Q1 FY 2026 alongside Carnival’s year-round program.
- Breakbulk identified by port management as the growth driver for the coming decade.
- New tariff expected October 1, 2026; JAXPORT typically issues an updated tariff each fall, so rates above may adjust for FY 2027.
Brian’s Take
JAXPORT’s tariff is refreshingly legible: no bundled terminal handling charges, no hidden congestion surcharges, and a fee card you can price a vessel call from in ten minutes. The number that matters for a shipper is not the $5.98 wharfage, though; it is capacity utilization. The port moved 1.39 million TEUs through a system now rated for 2 million, which means it is running at roughly 70% with no berth waiting. Compare that with Savannah’s chronic queue or the Southeast’s rail bottlenecks and you understand why carriers keep adding Jacksonville calls.
The risk is the one JAXPORT does not control. Fiscal 2025 container growth was 4% against a national import picture whipsawed by tariff litigation, and vehicle volumes were flat. The 205-foot air draft and the new Ro/Ro berth are the last big physical unlocks; from 2027 on, JAXPORT’s growth is a demand story, not a capacity story. For Northeast Florida shippers, that is good news: excess capacity is leverage, and the next three years are the time to negotiate long-term terminal and drayage agreements before the port fills in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the JAXPORT tariff include stevedoring and terminal handling?
No. Loading and discharge labor and terminal handling charges are set by the terminal operators (SSA, TraPac, Enstructure, Crowley, TOTE) and billed separately.
How deep is the Jacksonville shipping channel?
47 feet from the ocean through the Blount Island Marine Terminal, with a new turning basin. The channel upriver to Dames Point and Talleyrand is 40 feet.
How much free time do containers get at the rail transfer facility?
Four business days at the Dames Point ICTF; storage then runs $24.20 (20′) to $55 (45′) per day through day 15 and doubles after that.
What is the security fee per container at JAXPORT?
$9.27 per container loaded or discharged, plus a $318.35 harbor administration fee per call for vessels over 200 feet.
When does the JAXPORT tariff change?
Tariff No. 2025 took effect October 1, 2025. JAXPORT generally issues a revised tariff each fall, so confirm the FY 2027 schedule before pricing calls after September 30, 2026.
Sources and Further Reading
- Jacksonville Port Authority, Terminal Tariff No. 2025 Summary (effective Oct. 1, 2025) — https://www.jaxport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TariffSummarySheet-Effective100125.pdf
- Jacksonville Port Authority, Terminal Tariff No. 2025 (full text) — https://www.jaxport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Tariff2025-2025.10.01.pdf
- Jacksonville Port Authority, Financial Reports (FY 2025 results) — https://www.jaxport.com/corporate/about-jaxport/financial-reports/
- Jacksonville Port Authority, SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal — https://www.jaxport.com/cargo/port-improvements/ssa-jacksonville-container-terminal/
- Jacksonville Port Authority, Berth Enhancements — https://www.jaxport.com/cargo/port-improvements/berth-enhancements/
- Jacksonville Port Authority, Harbor Deepening Complete Through Blount Island — https://www.jaxport.com/jacksonville-harbor-deepening-project-complete-through-jaxports-blount-island-marine-terminal/
- News4JAX, “JAXPORT highlights ‘Jax Forward’ strategy, record growth at 2026 State of the Ports” (Feb. 26, 2026) — https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/02/26/jaxport-highlights-jax-forward-strategy-record-growth-at-2026-state-of-the-ports-address/
- Jacksonville Daily Record, “New capital projects and global connections give JaxPort leaders a positive outlook on 2025” (Feb. 6, 2025) — https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/feb/06/new-capital-projects-and-global-connections-give-jaxport-leaders-a-positive-outlook-on-2025/
- Florida Ports Council, JAXPORT profile — https://flaports.org/ports/jaxport/
- Jacksonville Today, “JEA customers could pay higher rates by year’s end” (Fulton Cut powerline project) (April 3, 2026) — https://jaxtoday.org/2026/04/02/jea-possible-rate-hikes/
- Penn Wharton Budget Model, Effective Tariff Rates and Revenues (Aug. 10, 2026) — https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/p/2026-08-10-effective-tariff-rates-and-revenues-updated-august-10-2026/
Reporting by Brian French. Tariff figures are JAXPORT’s published rates effective October 1, 2025; negotiated agreements with carriers and tenants may differ.
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