Jacksonville port grows Asian container business

The Jacksonville Port Authority logged a 16 percent increase in Asian container shipments during the first six months of fiscal-year 2016 compared with the same period a year ago, port officials announced late last week.

The port moved 157,689 twenty-foot equivalent containers units (TEUs) compared with 135,429 TEUs during the first half of FY2015, according to a port authority press release.

The Asian container trade is the fastest growing segment of the port's container cargo business, accounting for 33 percent of the business in the first half of FY 2016 compared with 31 percent in the same period in FY2015 and 7 percent in FY2014, port officials said.

The port in Jacksonville, Fla., offers direct trade with Asian ports through the Panama and Suez canals.