Portus-Jacksonville has announced it's letting go 138 workers after losing a contract for stevedoring and terminal services at JAXPORT's Blount Island Marine Terminal. Stevedores load and unload cargo from ships.
Portus Services LLC is a division of Jacksonville-based Patriot Rail & Ports, headquartered in Deerwood Park on Jacksonville’s Southside. Patriot Rail operates 13 regional and freight short-line railroads, while Patriot Ports runs port logistics in the Southeastern region of the U.S.
Portus-Jacksonville has been operating at Blount Island since 1992, according to its website.
“Portus will cease rendering stevedoring and terminal services at this location on June 30, 2021,” the company wrote in an April 28 letter to State Trade and Rapid Response Coordinator Christina Omran.
Portus said the majority of employees being let go are union workers and are represented by a division of the AFL-CIO.
It wasn't clear from the filing whether the workers will be offered other employment at the port.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
Photo used under Creative Commons license.
