USPS Publication Number 16300
T h i s C om mu n it y Ne w s p a p e r i s a p u bl i c a t ion of E s c a m b i a-S a nt a Ro s a B a r A s s o c i a t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icia l Ci rcu it Section A, Page 1
Vol. 21, No. 50
V isit T he S ummation W eekly O nline : SummationWeekly.com
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December 15, 2021
1 Section, 10 Pages
UP NEX T AT PORT OF PENSACOL A by Rebecca Ferguson Waterfront Development Projects Coordinator, Port of Pensacola
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IA PENSACOLA magazine’s 1957 inaugural issue featured the Palmer Line Freighter S.S. Casa Blanca loading in Pensacola for one of its regular runs between Pensacola and Cuba. The Port of Pensacola magazine’s amplified editorial called our port “the greatest deep-water harbor of the South,” adding that the Port of Pensacola “has been known throughout the Seven Seas since hardy mariners first sailed into the Gulf of Mexico.” The editorial argued its strategic position on the mainland, backed by the rapidly-growing industrial South and Midwest and served by railroads, highways and the intracoastal barge canal, supports our Port’s present activity and guarantees its future.
Skip to 2021 and the Port of Pensacola, sharing accolades with our port tenant family of companies, recently ranked the ninth most valuable deepwater port in the recent Seaport Mission Plan issued by the Florida Ports Council. Despite headwinds from the pandemic and Hurricane Sally, cargo tonnage and vessel dockage days increased in 2020, improving overall revenue by 13 percent. Cargo value passing through the port increased 419 percent with more than $300 million in waterfront cargo being handled at the port in 2020. In addition to cargo value, the port has also seen a 23 percent increase in waterborne cargo tonnage for the 2021 Fiscal Year. “Our port has continued to show incredible resilience and growth, despite challenges presented during COVID-19 and Hurricane Sally,” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said. “We’re so fortunate to have such a valuable economic driver right here in the City of Pensacola, and I look forward to seeing continued success at the Port of Pensacola.” Much of the Port’s dramatic increase in cargo value was driven by General Electric’s (GE) Wind Energy Pensacola facility and the import of components, including fully assembled wind turbine nacelles from South Amer-
ica. Pate Stevedore Company won a new multi-year contract for GE feedstock component imports and GE vessel traffic increased to one ship every three weeks coming from Mexico, South America and Asia. 100 percent of GE Pensacola production comes to port for storage prior to international export by ship or domestic export by truck or rail. This year, the Port also experienced key wins in several maritime industry sectors including Marine Maintenance and Repair Overhaul (MMRO). Much like ST Engineering at Pensacola International Airport providing MRO services to major carriers, Offshore Inland Marine received the MMRO contract for conversion of Blue Origin’s (Amazon’s Jeff Bezos’ space exploration company) Jacklyn from a roll-on, rolloff (RO-RO) vessel to an autonomous landing platform vessel—in short, a ship that catches rockets—pretty cool stuff. The Jacklyn is expected to remain in port into 2022, and the Offshore Inland lease for operation of a marine MRO at the port was extended to 2044. Long term potential for this project includes autonomous/ telerobotic vessel upgrade(s), conversion of landing platform #2, post-mission repairs and maintenance and permanent
home port. Offshore Inland became an early success story in the Port’s quest to blend traditional port functions and 21st Century Blue Economy activities on the Port’s 68-acre site. Cargo operations strengthened at the Port, too. CEMEX’s lease for operation of a dry bulk cement import and distribution terminal was extended through 2032 bringing additional lease revenue to the port and doubling cargo fees. Cemex also made a $1.5 million investment in vessel unloading equipment, bringing new import vessel capabilities online.
desire. Phase One of the plan promotes a mix of uses for the Port while maintaining it as an industrial core needed and necessary for our economy to function as it explores new ways for the sea to help propel both our economic and social future. The Portside Pensacola Vision maintains the Port’s core economic assets for cargo and trade activity and other maritime dependent uses, like Offshore Inland, while targeting underutilized property located outside the secured restricted area (outside the Port gates) for Blue Economy sectors such as
The growth and overall activity increase at the port is a direct reflection of the Mayor and City Council’s commitment to continued investment for a vibrant deep-water port, along with the support shown by the citizens of Pensacola.” “The growth and overall activity increase at the port is a direct reflection of the Mayor and City Council’s commitment to continued investment for a vibrant deep-water port, along with the support shown by the citizens of Pensacola,” Port Director Clark Merritt said. On deck and championing the effort forward, planning work for the Portside Pensacola Vision and Reinvestment Strategy was guided by the citizens of Pensacola before the pandemic and the resulting draft land use plans were shaped through an extensive public participation program. The plan envisions a development approach that continues to strengthen the Port’s role as a regional economic driver while allowing for several future directions based on market opportunities and community
aquaculture, marine technology, research and development and ocean industry career education. It also allocates a portion of the port’s holdings outside of the gate for civic, social and recreational uses like harbor cruises, water taxis, maritime heritage centers and entertainment venues. Extensive community participation and feedback was also gained during the SCAPE, Waterfront Hashtag Connector planning process where local entrepreneurs and City leaders engaged a landscape architecture and urban design studio to develop a waterfront framework plan focused on improving downtown Pensacola’s waterfront destinations and their landside connections. One short-term project to emerge from this process is the Waterfront Hashtag Connector, so named because it looks like a hashtag (#). The project calls for traffic calming improvements, streetscaping and development of walking paths and bicycle lanes along four streets immediately adjacent to the Port. The improvements will connect existing and future venues, attractions and storefronts with one another along safe, convenient and engaging routes that include
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new plazas, boardwalks and promenades. Strategies work in tandem to create and visualize a framework for the downtown waterfront including concepts for catalytic projects with the goal of creating a connected, accessible, public realm along the water’s edge, reinforcing our natural assets and wholly connecting people to their waterfront. The Portside plan is being implemented by the Port of Pensacola in phases over a multi-year period. On deck, in addition to preparation for reuse of 7-10 acres of land on the northeast quadrant of the Port behind the gate, developers are currently working with the Port to transform a largely vacant and underutilized landscape into a thriving resort style hotel destination on the waterfront of Pensacola Bay. Once construction commences, the development will bring 120 rooms to our local market, create new event and meeting space and provide conference and visitor-serving amenities while building an important asset in downtown Pensacola near the water’s edge. Next up is Streamline Boats of Northwest Florida, a key win for our Port in the light-manufacturing sector. After signing a 40-year lease, Streamline will produce semi-custom center console boats and repurpose an existing, abandoned, hurricanedamaged facility. This new development brings “Made in Pensacola” craftsmanship and a company in the Blue Economy sector to the Port, advancing Port Vision Plan objectives for continued economic success. Pensacola’s waterfront has been nearly 500 years in the making. Further development of these new niches, combined with the thoughtful and strategic implementation of the Portside Pensacola Vision Plan and the Waterfront Hashtag Connector, should ensure that the Port of Pensacola is as important a part of Pensacola’s future as it was in its past. It’s all hands on deck as we promote and embrace a diversity of uses and align our infrastructure with opportunity as Port of Pensacola writes its next chapter.
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