New barge service links Florida and Puerto Rico with monthly shipments
GT USA, the terminal operator at Port Canaveral, has launched a monthly barge service to Puerto Rico in partnership with Great Lakes East LLC. The new route began July 14 with the maiden voyage of the barge Crimson Clover, carrying breakbulk cargo bound for San Juan.
The service exports construction materials such as lumber, steel coils, sheet piles and rebar, along with other general cargo. All cargo is staged and loaded at GT USA’s Canaveral Cargo Terminal using the port’s existing infrastructure and warehouse space.
“The Crimson Clover’s first voyage demonstrated our ability to efficiently and securely handle multiple commodities,” the company said in a statement.
GT USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gulftainer Group, manages terminal operations, stevedoring and inland logistics services at Port Canaveral. Through its oversight of the Canaveral Cargo Terminal, it provides multipurpose berthing, warehousing and cargo handling as part of Gulftainer’s global supply chain network.
Great Lakes East, a Jones Act-compliant carrier, relocated its Florida breakbulk operations to Port Canaveral earlier this month. The company now operates out of North Cargo Berth 6 using the Crimson Clover, a 5,800-ton roll-on/roll-off warehouse barge.
The new route marks a Caribbean expansion for Great Lakes East, a subsidiary of The Great Lakes Towing Co. The parent firm is the largest U.S.-flag commercial tugboat operator on the Great Lakes and specializes in covered barge logistics.
