Port inks business with Green Tide containers

Green Tide's Whale Orca scheduled monthly.

The Port of Fernandina is set to welcome a new container shipping service this December as Green Tide, a maritime logistics company focused on U.S.-Mexico trade, makes Fernandina its second U.S. port of call after Philadelphia.

"It's called Green Tide. You can Google them," said Relay Terminals President Ted McNair during a recent update to Ocean Highway and Port Authority officials. "Right now, they're running a service from Mexico to Philly, and Fernandina's going to be the second port."

Green Tide operates a direct maritime route from Tuxpan and Coatzacoalcos, Mexico to Philadelphia, offering sustainable and efficient cargo solutions. The new Fernandina service will start with monthly vessel calls, ramping up to biweekly service, with the vessel Whale Orca chartered long-term for the route.

McNair emphasized the strategic value of securing the deal. “This is one that I worked really hard on with my team... to kind of get this away from Jacksonville, Savannah, Brunswick, other places.”

One of the key advantages of the new service is its focus on wood pulp cargo, a high-density commodity that Fernandina is well-positioned to handle. “I love wood pulp. It's my favorite cargo because of the storage density,” McNair said. "I think it works well with our capabilities."

In addition to pulp, McNair hinted at broader wood product opportunities tied to shifting global trade patterns.

“Because of some of the China tariffs and a couple other things, we’re seeing more and more people doing wood laminates, wood flooring, even some of the particle board stuff, coming out of South America, through Mexico, and then going north,” he said.

He added that these materials are container-friendly, and Green Tide’s route could be a natural fit.

“A lot of this is a transload opportunity — a lot of that stuff comes in bulk and then gets packed into containers. So I think that’s a big play for us too.”

Green Tide’s connections to Mexico also open the door to re-exporting cargo like wood pulp back through the country’s ports, which are better equipped for container traffic than breakbulk.

Ted McNair

“Mexico really doesn't have the breakbulk terminals we have,” McNair noted. “So they have to ship it [via container]... That's like the dream, bring in something, warehouse it and then re-export it via container. Logistically it’s like 10 out of 10.”

Infrastructure is a key part of the equation. While the Whale Orca has its own gear, Fernandina will use its Mobile Harbor container cranes to keep vessel turnaround fast. “Using ship's gear containers is exceedingly slow,” McNair said. “They want to be quick in, quick out.”

The launch follows strong momentum from the Breakbulk Americas conference, where the port team made key industry connections.

“We had a booth there. Big investment for us,” McNair said. “That’s actually where we kind of inked the container deal.”

Fernandina's agreement with Green Tide is currently a one-year contract with a ramp-up period. McNair acknowledged some concerns about crane capacity but sees this as a transformative opportunity.

He spoke about another pulp opportunity in Brazil that also would be wood pulp breakbulk business that would necessitate a transfer to containers.

“I'd say that one is about 65 percent. Those two combined — the container service and wood pulp — will be a game changer,” McNair said.