New Vessel Agreement Provides New Shipping Opportunities
New Vessel Service Agreement Provides Increased International Shipping Opportunities
J.B. Hunt has a foundation of providing the capacity to deliver for our customers. As we continue to disrupt the logistics industry to bring that goal to life, we’re excited to announce a new offering in international transportation that will bring our customers more capacity by increasing our container count. It will also honor our founders who believed in what this company could become.
On June 30, one of two container ships bearing our founders’ names arrived stateside from China. The Johnelle landed in the Port of Everett in Washington carrying more than 250 new intermodal containers for J.B. Hunt’s Intermodal fleet. The Johnnie Bryan, the other vessel, docked at the Port of Hueneme in California on July 6. These ships are a part of a long-term, multi-vessel service agreement to transport the new containers.
The Johnelle and the Johnnie Bryan, along with other vessels, will continue carrying new containers to the coast of California and the Pacific Northwest as part of the ongoing effort to increase our intermodal fleet. The plan is to expand our container count up to 150,000 in the next three to five years, with a goal of increasing our capacity by 40% over our 2021 end-of-year count.
Expanding Our Freight Shipping Solutions
Our customers wanted more, and we’re working to deliver. By being able to fill these new containers before they arrive from the Shenzhen, Qingdao and Shanghai markets, we can also provide accelerated shipping of products for our customers. This will help alleviate supply chain challenges such as equipment dislocation and fluidity, dwell time and demurrage by streamlining the ocean transport and transloading process.
J.B. Hunt has recently started offering transloading services that allow us to make the process more efficient for our customers. Our facility near ports in southern California is J.B. Hunt's second such offering, with the first opening in New Jersey in November 2021.
And when the containers are ready for rail transport, we are working to offer more efficient options. Earlier this year, we announced a new joint effort with BNSF railroad to improve intermodal transport in the marketplace. As a part of that initiative, BNSF will provide several property locations around key intermodal hubs and increased efficiency at terminals that will help J.B. Hunt provide efficient freight shipping solutions. This allows us to strive toward our mission to create the most efficient transportation network in North America.
Sustainability is a Priority
It’s no secret that intermodal transportation is one of the most sustainable transportation models in the marketplace. It is 2.5 times more efficient and cuts carbon emissions by 60 percent compared to over-the-road transport alone.
J.B. Hunt estimates that an additional 7 to 11 million shipments could be converted to intermodal, which would continue to support our efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and provide additional opportunities for our customers to take advantage of this cost-efficient and sustainable option.
Contact your J.B. Hunt representative or reach out to ocean@jbhunt.com to learn more about our Intermodal offerings or ocean shipping options!