• Ocean Network Express (ONE) has chosen Port Everglades as the U.S. port of call for its new Florida Latin Express (FLX) service, focusing on transporting seafood and agriculture products from South American farms to South Florida.
• ONE plans to deploy four vessels on this route, offering one of the fastest transit times connecting the West Coast of South America to the East Coast of North America.
• The FLX service will commence operations in September, linking Port Everglades with South American ports like Callao and Paita in Peru and Guayaquil in Ecuador.

Ocean Network Express (ONE), a major Japanese container transportation corporation, has selected Port Everglades as the U.S. port of call for its new Florida Latin Express (FLX) service that will transport seafood and agriculture products from South American farms to South Florida.

The FLX service is set to begin operations in September and establish a trading route between Port Everglades and South American ports such as Callao and Paita in Peru, and Guayaquil in Ecuador.

ONE plans to deploy four vessels and claims that the shipping route will become one of the fastest transit times on the market, connecting the West Coast of South America to the East Coast of North America.

“Port Everglades provides the competitive edge that shipping lines like ONE need and expect,” said Jonathan Daniels, CEO and Port Director of Port Everglades. “With our prominence in the perishables market and efficient terminal operators such as FIT, we are the natural port of choice to serve as the South Florida home for the FLX service.”

Port Everglades is a major global seaport, handling approximately one million TEUs — the industry standard measurement for container volumes — annually and providing direct access to the interstate highway system. The Florida East Coast Railway’s Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, situated near the dock, connects cargo to 70 percent of the U.S. population within 72 hours. Officials state that the port’s location places it closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other Southeastern U.S. port.

Florida’s sixteen seaports generated $117.6 billion in economic output last year, accounting for 13.3 percent of the state’s overall GDP, according to Mike Rubin, CEO and President of the Florida Ports Council.

Florida’s ports received 112.5 million tons of cargo in 2022, an all-time high and a six percent increase compared to the year prior. An economic impact report also disclosed that cargo and cruise activities supported 900,000 direct and indirect jobs across the state. In 2022, the state’s seaports handled 4,310,054 TEUs, 26.1 million container tons, 22.4 million dry bulk tons, 54.8 million liquid bulk tons, 9.03 million breakbulk tons, 631,157 vehicles, and 10.7 million cruise passengers.

“While much of the nation was frozen by the supply chain stalemate, Florida’s ports were open and encouraging shipping lines to change lanes and sail to the Sunshine State,” said Rubin. “We’ve long known that the investments made in our ports had prepared Florida for the day when more cargo and more cargo ships would call on Florida. Now Florida has become a major player among seaports.”