July 16th, 2026 – The Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) has welcomed the first call of a new container service operated by Zim and Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), expanding the Florida gateway’s connectivity to Asia while providing onward access to destinations across Latin America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
The Sapphire became the inaugural vessel to call at Jacksonville under the ZCP-Amberjack service, a weekly rotation designed to connect major North Asian ports with the U.S. Southeast before linking cargo to a broad international network through transshipment hubs.
The service calls Jaxport’s Blount Island Marine Terminal on a rotation that includes Qingdao, Ningbo and Shanghai in China; Busan, South Korea; Manzanillo, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville; Kingston, Jamaica; and returns to Busan.
Transit times from North Asia to Jacksonville range from 28 to 32 days. Through Zim’s transshipment hubs in Kingston and Cartagena, shippers also gain access to markets along the west coast of South America, including Peru and Ecuador, as well as Venezuela and Guyana. The network also expands Caribbean coverage with service to Aruba, Curacao and Panama, while providing connections to Mediterranean ports in Italy, Greece, Israel and Egypt. In Asia, the service strengthens connectivity beyond China with links to Vietnam and Singapore.
The new rotation enhances Jacksonville’s position as a gateway for international trade by offering customers more direct access to key Asian manufacturing centers while broadening distribution options into multiple global markets through an established transshipment network.
The service also supports sustainability initiatives by deploying liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered vessels, which can be refueled in Jacksonville. The availability of LNG bunkering at the port complements the carriers’ use of lower-emission vessels while reinforcing Jaxport’s role as a growing hub for environmentally focused container shipping.
