Florida International Terminal (FIT), a port in Port Everglades–Fort Lauderdale operated by SAAM since 2005, began a modernization project that will change the look of the port.
The project will see the construction of a modern terminal with new facilities such as a gatehouse with eight lines, doubling its capacity to receive and ship containers, as well as an office building, a new connection bank for refrigerated cargo and agricultural inspection platforms for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
FIT's CEO, Klaus Stadthagen, commented, "These investments are part of our long-term development plan to continue positioning FIT as one of South Florida's main cargo terminals, with the best customer service in the region.”
All of these infrastructure investments are accompanied by a plan to increase security for associates and cargo and other continual improvements in terminal operations.
Since opening, cargo movements through Florida International Terminal have grown significantly, reaching more than 202,000 TEU in 2016. Its main customers are shipping lines like Hamburg Süd, Hapag Lloyd, Sealand, Yang Ming, NYK, ZIM, CMA-CGM/APL.
The terminal is equipped with 15 container cranes (Taylor & Hyster brands), 10 forklifts with varying lifting capacities and 26 pieces of equipment for moving containers to and from the dock. The port also uses a state-of-the-art operating system from Tideworks Technology.