PortMiami to welcome big ships after project completion

Event to be held celebrates completion of project, intermodal rail

MIAMI – An event will be held Friday morning at PortMiami to celebrate the completion of a -50/-52 foot Deep Dredge project and On-dock Intermodal Rail.

PortMiami is the only major logistics hub south of Virginia capable of handling fully laden post-Panamax vessels, port officials said. More than $1 billion of capital infrastructure projects have been completed and have transformed PortMiami to a major U.S. global gateway.

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"A new big ship era is here and PortMiami is ready," PortMiami Director and CEO Juan M. Kuryla said. "I am proud to say that PortMiami is now able to berth Post-Panamax ships; and we are able to expedite the movement of goods throughout Florida, the continental U.S., and the world, fast and efficiently."

PortMiami now offers Super Post-Panamax gantry cranes that can service cargo vessels up to 22 containers wide and up to nine containers above deck and 11 containers below, officials said.

"The completion of the Deep Dredge and the Intermodal On-dock Rail project are a major milestone not only for Miami-Dade County and PortMiami, but for all of Florida because the entire Sunshine State will benefit from increased trade opportunities once the expanded Panama Canal opens in 2016," Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said. "I thank Gov. Rick Scott, our state legislators, county commissioners and all who advocated for these critical projects. The completion of both projects ensures that PortMiami will remain competitive in the global marketplace."

On-dock intermodal rail service, in partnership with Florida East Coast Railway, links PortMiami to 70 percent of the U.S. population in four days or less.

Additionally, officials said a new fast access tunnel connects the Port directly to the United States Interstate Highway System, providing rapid turnaround time for the movement of import and export goods.

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