Port Manatee's Berth 12 opens

PORT MANATEE -- Port Manatee's Berth 12 received the 492-foot-long M/V Sea Brave this week, initiating commercial operations at the Gulf Coast's newest port expansion.

The opening of Berth 12 completes Port Manatee's South Port expansion project, a $200 million undertaking that began in 1999. The new berth can accept ships up to 950 feet long and 106 feet wide (Panamax dimensions).

“This is a big moment for Port Manatee, our tenants, customers and the port's future,” says Port Manatee Executive Director David L. McDonald in a release. “To attract Class A carriers, we have to offer Class A facilities, and we've achieved that goal with the opening of Berth 12.”

Port Manatee is the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the Panama Canal.