Jaxport renews lease with APM

Jaxport renews lease with APM The Port of Jacksonville Monday approved a new, 25-year lease with APM Terminals North America, the terminal operating company affiliated with Maersk Line that also handles containerships for other carriers.
   APM is one of Jaxport's largest and oldest customers, dating back 46 years to predecessor company Sea-Land Service. The international operations of Sea-Land were acquired by Maersk in 1999.
   The new agreement will keep APM in Jacksonville through at least 2031, with an additional five-year option on the contract that could extend the agreement through 2036. The lease applies to a 60-acre facility at Jaxport's Blount Island Marine Terminal.
   'At APM Terminals, we are very pleased that a new long-term agreement has been reached because we see Jacksonville as a growing and important location for the port infrastructure of the South Atlantic region,' said Tony Scioscia, president of APM Terminals North America. 'Together with Jaxport, we are looking forward to expanding the business in and out of Jacksonville's port.'
   In 2005, APM Terminals handled 1.4 million tons of cargo at Blount Island, generating more than $3.5 million in revenue for the port'more than any other single tenant.