PALMETTO, Fla. – Fuel is once again flowing from SeaPort Manatee terminals to Southwest and Central Florida and beyond, serving the needs of a region impacted by the Oct. 9 landfall of Hurricane Milton.
“Thanks to cooperative efforts between Manatee County, state and federal authorities and industry partners, fuel distribution activities have resumed at SeaPort Manatee as of this morning,” said Kevin Van Ostenbridge, chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority.
According to a company media release, as power restoration began at Manatee County’s seaport, limited landside cargo operations resumed, while, per U.S. Coast Guard direction, waterside operations resumed during daylight hours, with shipping channel activity limited to a single direction.
“SeaPort Manatee is a critical gateway for supplying fuel stations throughout our region and beyond, with a flow of nearly 400 million gallons a year,” said Carlos Buqueras, SeaPort Manatee’s executive director. “It is particularly crucial that we have been able to see resumption of this fuel supply at a time when our area has been hit by two hurricanes in such a short period of time.”
Located “Where Tampa Bay Meets the Gulf of Mexico,” SeaPort Manatee is a dynamic global trade hub, serving as the vibrant ships-to-shelves gateway for burgeoning Southwest and Central Florida markets, with convenient rail and roadway links, including to the distribution-center-filled Tampa/Orlando Interstate 4 corridor, according to the release.
“The closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, SeaPort Manatee offers 10 deep-draft berths, proficiently fulfilling diverse demands of container, liquid and dry bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers,” the release said. “The self-sustaining port generates more than $5.1 billion in annual economic impacts while providing for more than 37,000 direct and indirect jobs – all without benefit of local property tax support.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
