Florida port acquires land for rail-served forest products terminal

Port Panama City recently acquired a 41-acre waterfront tract from WestRock Co. to develop a rail-served forest products terminal, which is projected to double the Florida port’s throughput capability.

The terminal will include a 250,000-square-foot warehouse for woodpulp, linerboard and related goods, a 48-car-capacity rail yard, a refurbished 38-foot-draft berthing area and a 10-acre laydown area. The port is served by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s Bay Line Railroad, which interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway.

The land acquisition and forest products terminal will position the port to handle sustained volume growth for many years to come, said Wayne Stubbs, the port’s executive director, in a press release.

”This is a huge step forward in enhancing … [our] abilities to handle forest product cargos,” he said. “Exports of paper and wood pellets helped propel the port to a record year in 2015, with more than 2 million tons of cargo moving across our docks.”

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) provided $4.25 million to help the port proceed with the terminal’s $12 million first phase. An additional $9 million, with half coming from FDOT, is earmarked for rail and roadway improvements, as well as bulkhead work, port officials said.