New Container Freight Service May Bear Fruit for US and Central American Shippers

US – Earlier this month the Crowley Maritime Corporation announced it was launching a new, weekly, fixed-day container shipping service between its Jacksonville, Florida base and Costa Rica. Crowley says the new service will enhance customer service and improve their freight supply chains whilst reducing their overall costs. The two container vessels on the rotation, which will call at the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Talleyrand Terminal, will make port calls in Jacksonville on Thursdays, Port Everglades on Fridays, and arrive in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, on Wednesdays. Frank Larkin, Crowley senior vice president and general manager, logistics commented:

“With our warehousing and cross-dock operations in Jacksonville, we are well situated to funnel cargo originating outside Florida, to Costa Rica, saving customers time and reducing their overall landed costs. We can swing loads from trailers to ocean containers here, reducing equipment re-positioning expenses, and save the additional inland transportation costs that come with the traditional movement of cargo to South Florida.”

Northbound Crowley will sail from Costa Rica on Fridays, which has traditionally proved an attractive end-of-the-work-week sailing for perishables shippers and the new service extends the company’s influence in what is a key area for the group.