If you ask me, what is the biggest shipping port In Florida?
I will mention the Atlantic and Gulf coastlines of Florida.
Here, you will find the biggest shipping port in the Sunshine state.
This port is popular because of its closeness to the Caribbean, and Central America.
It is also close to broad highways, and rail networks.
Some of the strong industries in Florida are Logistics, shipping, and manufacturing.
Based on this, we ask the question, which of the Florida ports is the biggest?
What Is The Biggest Shipping Port In Florida?
Measuring by tonnage, and land area, Port Tampa Bay is the biggest port in Florida.
The port can handle above 37 million tons of cargo in a year.
It will take about 1.6 million semi-trucks to evacuate these goods.
In addition to handling millions of tons of cargo, the port is located on about 5,000 acres of land.
Where exactly is Port Tampa Bay?
How many terminals are in Port Tampa?
What are the kinds of goods it handles?
What is its staff strength?
How many ships does this port play host to annually?
You will see the answers to these questions in our subsequent sections.
Port Tampa Bay: Not Just Pirates Anymore
The history of Tampa Bay runs thousands of years.
The seaport is naturally beautiful.
The most remarkable time in the history of this port is during the pirate times.
There was a notorious pirate named Jose Gaspar, not his real name, who, with his group, roamed and terrorized the coastline and the seafarers.
Jose Gaspar got his name from the famous Gasparilla festival.
Now the pirate times have come and gone, the maritime activities in Tampa Bay presently major in recreational boating, cruise vessels, and merchant ships.
The natives populated the area before the coming of the pirates.
These natives carried on their trading activities along the bay and its long network of rivers and estuaries.
At a time, Florida became a connecting point between English and Spanish traders, and Tampa Bay became a significant seaport over time.
There was a post built by the American Army at Fort Brooke in 1823 at the mouth of the Hillsborough River.
After that, they started to build primitive wharves, which they planned to serve as a dockyard for supply ships.
Unfortunately, when Scottish skipper James McKay arrived in 1846, the port started showing signs of real growth.
From old wharves close to Fort Brooke, McKay started to sail ships to big cities like Mobile and New Orleans.
As time went on, the operations of McKay extended to Cuba.
He transported cattle by sea to the island.
He has business ideas that are as sharp as his sailing skill.
It did not take time before his shipping businesses started to progress.
Soon, McKay’s burgeoning seaport and Henry Plant’s railroad network became a connection.
This made it possible for goods from Port Tampa to be sent to locations like Jacksonville and New York by train.
During the American Civil war, McKay’s shipping business continued to thrive.
McKay is skilled in breaking blockades.
He broke the Union blockades to continue his trade with England as the war was still on.
This kept the economy of Florida running, notwithstanding the war.
There was a time he became the Mayor of Tampa.
This is one of the honors he had in his lifetime.
Port Tampa Bay grew and expanded as time went by.
The harbor was dredged many times to make it possible for the port to receive bigger ships.
Many business people gave their land to help expand the seaport.
The seaport became public property in 1929.
At that time, it had a 27-foot-deep channel, making it possible for big ships to dock.
Presently, the port is conveniently linked to the I-4 corridor, rail facilities, and the Tampa International Airport.
It is now a significant key player in the economy of Tampa Bay and Florida.
Present Day Port Tampa Bay
The location of Port Tampa Bay is still at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, between the Davis Islands and the aptly known McKay Bay.
It is easy to go to downtown Tampa from there, and the location is very near to Ybor City, a popular neighborhood in Tampa.
On the port’s western side, you will see the cruise terminals.
This place is a good tourist destination just like the Florida Aquarium.
It is along the Sparkman Channel, East Bay, and McKay Bay that you will see the seaport’s industrial area.
Regarding size, Port Tampa Bay is on about 5,000 acres of land.
About 7,000 feet of berthing are available in the port for cargo ships belonging to Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Carnival, and AIDA.
You can access the port through a 43-foot-deep water channel.
Port Tampa Bay can handle all kinds of cargo you can think of.
How Many Ships Pass-Through Port Tampa Bay?
Port Tampa Bay is a very busy seaport.
The port plays host to an average of 3,000 ships every year.
This number comprises barges, big ocean-bound container ships, and tugs.
Cargo ships are very common and popular in this port.
About 180,000 containers are handled in this port every year.
Anyhow you look at it Port Tampa Bay is growing and expanding in every sense.
There are three 100-ton Gottwald cranes and 5 gantry cranes in the port.
Out of the 5 gantry cranes, two are post-Panamax.
They are sure to serve those big ships passing through the Panama Canal to the port.
What Kind of Cargo Goes Through Port Tampa Bay?
There is no cargo Port Tampa Bay cannot handle.
For instance, it was through Port Tampa Bay that the new trains bought for Tampa International Airport were shipped to the airport in the early 2020s.
There are many bulk cargoes the port has handled.
Some are dry bulks like cement, and some are liquid bulks like fuel.
Many refrigerated cargos pass through the port from time to time.
Other cargoes pass through this seaport, some of them are;
- Gasoline, diesel, ethanol, and jet fuel
- Bulk cement
- Phosphate
- Citrus juice and citrus concentrate
- Containerized freight
- Scrap metal and steel
- Automobiles
- Food
There is a big refrigerated warehouse facility in the port.
This facility helps a lot in the transshipment of perishable food products like meat, fruits, and vegetables.
This port is also an export terminal.
Products like phosphate and oil are exported from Florida to various places in the world that pass through this port.
There are industries close to the port that fabricate steels into finished products like bridge parts, and iron drums.
They export these products through this port.
FAQs
What are the three major port cities in Florida?
Florida’s three major port cities are Canaveral, Port Everglades, and Jacksonville Port Authority.
What’s the busiest port in Florida?
The busiest cruise port in Florida is the Port Everglades Cruise Terminal.
It is also the third busiest cruise port in the world.
The port has 33 berths and handles more than 3.5 million cruise passengers annually.
Where are the major ports in Florida?
The major ports in Florida are located at;
- Port Canaveral
- Port Everglades
- Port of Fernandina
- Port of Fort Pierce
- Jaxport
- Port of Key West
- SeaPort Manatee
- Port Miami
