Great Lakes East relocates its Florida breakbulk operations to Port Canaveral

Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO (4th from left) welcomes Great Lakes East on inaugural call to Port Canaveral joined by (L-R) Joe Cruise, VP commercial, Great Lakes East, George Arocha, director cargo operations, Port Canaveral, Salvador Menoyo, VP special projects, East Coast, Great Lakes Towing Company, Samantha Cornelius, VP business development, cargo and aerospace, Jeff Long, Port Canaveral CFO [Photo: Canaveral Port Authority]

In a move aimed at better serving its customers, breakbulk cargo carrier Great Lakes East (GLE), part of the Great Lakes Group,has relocated its Florida operations to Port Canaveral to offer monthly import/export service to San Juan, Puerto Rico, GLE operates the service using the 5,800-ton covered RO/RO warehouse barge Crimson Clover, with its port partner, Canaveral Cargo Terminal Operator GT USA, serving as stevedore and managing terminal operations.

“Port Canaveral strives for excellence in all facets of our operations, including growing our cargo business. This is a win-win scenario for our port and partners by diversifying our cargo portfolio and delivering long-term value to a growing customer base,” said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray. “GLE recognized Port Canaveral’s multi-purpose berths, commitment to service and easy access to Atlantic shipping lanes to provide their customers with strategic advantages for enhanced efficiency and improved supply chain performance.”

Operating from Port Canaveral’s North Cargo Berth 6, Crimson Clover is equipped with two side ramps to support roll-on/roll-off operations, making the vessel well-suited for a wide range of cargo, including rolling stock, oversize loads, and high-and-heavy equipment. Transported commodities will include forest products, lumber, and steel, serving manufacturers, distributors, contractors and project cargo clients that rely on dependable, Jones Act-compliant service between Florida and Puerto Rico.

Customers of the GLE Port Canaveral-based service will benefit from improved transit times both northbound and southbound with no appointments required for cargo delivery—operations are conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. The service also offers significant technological and operational upgrades with enhanced cargo scanning capabilities, improving both accuracy and processing speed. As part of itsr overall service enhancement, GLE has also deployed a more powerful tugboat to help improve transit time and ensure greater consistency in barge scheduling and departure reliability.

“We are striving to provide the best customer experience in the market by investing in the right people, equipment, and infrastructure,” said Joe Starck, president of Great Lakes Towing. “Our relocation to Port Canaveral is a reflection of that commitment. We are dedicated to delivering a quality service our customers can count on—reliably, efficiently, and with a focus on continuous improvement.”