September 23 - Florida, USA based Port Manatee together with The Pasha Group will develop and market a full-service multipurpose ro-ro terminal near the entrance of Tampa Bay.
Port Manatee is a multipurpose deepwater seaport near the entrance to Tampa Bay that serves breakbulk, heavy lift, project and general cargo customers as well as container and bulk freight clients.
"We see Port Manatee as strategic in our portfolio of key locations for the continued growth of our corporation for the long term," comments John H. Pasha, senior vice president for California based Pasha Automotive Services. "Our vision is to continue beyond our current 67 years in the business and add Port Manatee as a state-of-the industry quality component in the supply chain for finished vehicles, project cargos and rolling stock," he added.
The new terminal is positioning itself primarily to take advantage of Mexico's burgeoning car manufacturing industry and Florida's near 20 million consumers.
"Port Manatee will be able to get autos and other cargoes from Mexico to the Florida market faster and more cost-effectively than any other Florida port," said Carlos Buqueras, Port Manatee's executive director. "In addition, we anticipate export opportunities into Latin America."
The agreement between the port and The Pasha Group includes the joint marketing of a 172,500 sq ft (16,026 sq m) vehicle processing facility and development of a terminal of at least 30 acres (12.2 ha), extendable to 100 acres (40.5 ha). The site is to be served by an expanded Berth 12, which is 1,584 ft (483 m) long, with 40 ft (12.2 m) draft.
www.portmanatee.com
