Ports America to Operate Port Tampa Bay Terminal Until 2046

Port Tampa Bay US stevedore and terminal operating company Ports America, the current operator of Floridas Port Tampa Bay Container Terminal, has signed an amended container agreement with the port that will be valid through May 2046. The company also agreed with Port Tampa Bay to a new breakbulk concession of five years, which includes two one-year extension options. “For the past 10 years, Ports America and Port Tampa Bay have enjoyed a committed, productive partnership and look forward to increasing containerized imports from vessels arriving through the newly expanded Panama Canal as well as trans-Atlantic cargo shipments,” Ports America Stevedoring President Tom Perdue said. In addition, the duo jointly purchased two new post-Panamax gantry cranes made by ZMPC, a crane manufacturer from Shanghai, China, which arrived in April this year to supplement the facilitys existing three gantry cranes. With the new cranes, the port is able to handle ships of 9,000 TEUs, or 20-foot equivalents, compared to the previous 4,500 TEU vessels.