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Caribbean ocean shipping company SeaFreight Agencies, a longtime customer of Port Everglades, celebrated the grand opening of its 25-acre marine cargo terminal at the South Florida seaport on November 17, 2011.

SeaFreight’s terminal is a new facility on a recently completed 41-acre cargo area, Southport Phase VIII and VIIA, that will also be utilized by Crowley Liner Services, which created 15 percent more capacity for containerized cargo at the port.

Commenting on the launch, Roland Malins-Smith, President of SeaFreight Agencies said: “We are very pleased to be at Port Everglades from the beginning of our service and to have worked with the Port Everglades team on the Terminal project. It represents a real milestone for our company and a commitment to our future at the Port.”

SeaFreight operates eight container ships at Port Everglades with twice weekly fixed-day sailings to and from the Caribbean region, which is a key market for the port.

An almost 20-year customer of Port Everglades that has handled cargo through other terminal operators at the port in the past, SeaFreight has a 10-year lease agreement that will grow from $2,410,000 to $4,129,163 annually including rent over the life of the agreement. Volume guarantees are forecast to grow 23 percent higher than current cargo levels within the first six years.

"SeaFreight is poised to grow their business and presence in South Florida with their own cargo terminal," said Port Everglades Director Phil Allen. “We are pleased to put this new container yard into service because it demonstrates the Port’s success as an economic engine for the region that supports jobs and financial vitality. The Southport Phase VIII/VIIA project began in 2010 at a total cost of $12.3 million of which half was financed through Florida Department of Transportation grants. Approximately 227 construction jobs were generated through the Southport Phase VIIA /VIII project and another 250 direct jobs are estimated to be supported by the new cargo terminals once they are fully operational, resulting in more than $494 million in personal income.

Port Everglades is one of the United States' leading container ports and a trade gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion have been carried out to ensure that Port Everglades will have the ability to handle future growth in container traffic.

Located just one mile from the Atlantic shipping lanes, Port Everglades serves as a key point of entry for products shipped around the world.