Tampa welcomes Puerto Rican shipments

TAMPA - A new shipping service at the Port of Tampa is helping local businesses save thousands of dollars a month.

With every container taken off a large ship at the Port of Tampa merchandise from Puerto Rico arrives in Tampa.

Horizon Lines marked the launch of a direct container service from Tampa to San Juan earlier this month. That's great news for local businesses, which in the past would have to truck their products to Jacksonville, then Puerto Rico.

"Companies in the Tampa area would have no choice but to truck their containers all the way to the east coast and that's not cheap. You're talking $500, $600 per container," Port of Tampa spokesperson Wade Elliott said.

That means thousands of dollars a month in savings for local companies who decide to ship out of their backyard.

"A lot of different types of companies moving a lot of different types of products from lube oil to food to beverages to consumer goods, steel, furniture," Elliott said.

Bay Area businesses are taking advantage of the service. But only a handful companies in Puerto Rico are sending products to Tampa.

Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder is the president and CEO of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. She says it's all about getting the word out.

"A lot of companies are afraid to export even thought they have phenomenal products and the consumers are here because they don't understand how to go about making the connections," Cuevas-Neunder said.

Port officials say the relationship is growing. And as long as these containers continue to come on and off the ships, Tampa stands to win.

"This is a really big deal for Tampa and for companies here in the Bay Area who are looking to service their customers in Puerto Rico. They have much more competitive service now," Elliott said.

For more information about the shipping service log onto the Puerto Rican Chamber of Sarasota and Manatee counties' website or the Tampa Port Authority's website.