Port Tampa Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Port Tampa Bay |
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Tampa |
| Coordinates | 27°56′59″N 82°26′43″W / 27.949851°N 82.445255°W |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1924 |
| Operated by | Tampa Port Authority |
| Type of harbor | Natural/Artificial |
| Size | appx. 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) |
| Available berths | 66 |
| Draft depth | 45.6 ft. |
| Employees | 135 |
| President & CEO | Paul Anderson (since 2012) |
| Channel depth | 43 feet |
| Statistics | |
| Vessel arrivals | 3,093 (FY2015) |
| Annual cargo tonnage | 37,374,290 (FY2015) |
| Annual container volume | 56,742 TEUs or 487,410 net tons (FY2015) |
| Passenger traffic | Cruise passenger traffic: 867,114 (FY2015) |
| Main exports | Phosphate, fertilizer |
| Main imports | Petroleum products, steel |
| Water-borne cargo value | $4.51 billion (2014) |
Port Tampa Bay, once known as the Port of Tampa, is the biggest port in the state of Florida. It is managed by the Tampa Port Authority, an agency from Hillsborough County. The port is located in Tampa, Florida, close to downtown Tampa's Channel District.
This busy port connects directly to Tampa Bay on Florida's western coast. It is about 25 sea miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The port area includes parts of Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, and the Hillsborough River. Many different kinds of ships use this port, including huge container ships, oil tankers, and even cruise ships full of vacationers.
As of 2013, Port Tampa Bay was one of the busiest ports in the United States for trade. It helps Florida's economy a lot, creating over 80,000 jobs! The port handles all sorts of cargo, from big bulk items to cars and containers. It also has places where ships can get repaired. The port is always working to improve and connect with more places around the world.
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Moving Goods by Ship
Port Tampa Bay offers weekly services for moving goods in large containers. A company called Ports America helps manage this. They have special berths (places where ships dock) and giant cranes to lift these containers. In 2014, the Port spent $21.5 million on two new gantry cranes. These cranes started working in 2016.
Big shipping companies like Zim Integrated Shipping Services, Mediterranean Shipping Company, and COSCO use this port. The port is also home to Foreign Trade Zone #79. This zone helps companies in the Tampa Bay area with importing, exporting, and making products.
Fun on Cruise Ships
Tampa is a very popular place to start a cruise trip to the western Caribbean. Four main cruise lines use Port Tampa Bay as their home base. These are Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean International, Holland America Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line. Another company, AIDA Cruises, also visits the port.
The port has three special terminals just for cruise ships. In 2014, over 888,000 passengers traveled through the port. This involved 198 cruise ship visits! When people are at the port, they can visit nearby places like Channelside, The Florida Aquarium, and Ybor City.
In April 2016, there was a change in rules for people born in Cuba who wanted to take cruises to Cuba. This led to some protests in Miami and at Port Tampa Bay. People were concerned about a cruise company doing business with the Cuban government. However, the cruise company later announced that all travelers, including those born in Cuba, could book cruises to Cuba. This was because Cuba decided to allow travel by sea, similar to how people travel by air.
Getting to the Port
The cruise terminals and the port's main office are located along Channelside Drive. The closest major highway to the port is the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. This highway runs along the northern edge of the port. It has special lanes that go from Meridian Avenue to Interstate 75 and the area of Brandon.
Before 2013, many trucks going to and from the port had to drive through the streets of Ybor City. Ybor City is a special historic area in Florida. To help with this, a new highway called the Interstate 4 – Selmon Expressway Connector was built. This highway is about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long. It has special lanes just for trucks. Now, trucks can go directly from Interstate 4 to Port Tampa Bay without driving through city roads.
Who Runs the Port
Port Tampa Bay is managed by a board of seven leaders called commissioners. Five of these commissioners are chosen by Florida's governor. The other two are the current Mayor of Tampa and a member of the Hillsborough County Commission.
Here are some of the current members:
- Chairman Chad W. Harrod
- Vice Chairman Hung T. Mai
- Secretary/Treasurer Patrick H. Allman
- Commissioner Ted Conner
- Commissioner Michael Owen
- Tampa Mayor Jane Castor
You can find more about the Port Tampa Bay leadership team on their website.
Images for kids
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Entrance to pier no. 2 of the Tampa Port Authority (Carnival Inspiration in the background)
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Carnival Legend cruise ship returning to Port Tampa Bay
