Auto logistics firm increases Port Tampa Bay capacity to 10K vehicles

A third-party logistics firm that moves, processes and stores vehicles and auto parts is embarking on a major expansion of its operations at Port Tampa Bay, the agency announced Monday, bringing its overall footprint to more than 80 acres and making room for 10,000 vehicles. 

Glovis America, part of South Korea’s Hyundai Glovis, secured a long-term agreement with Port Tampa Bay that paves the way for growing its automotive logistics operations in the region. The plan includes adding about 32 additional acres of berth-adjacent property to Glovis’ existing 48.5 acre automotive terminal at Hooker’s Point — an industrial peninsula east of Davis Islands that serves as Port Tampa Bay’s main cargo hub. The expansion will add about 3,000 more vehicle storage spaces to the site, the release says.

The logistics company says keeping more vehicles next to the docks and closer to CSX rail connections will cut down on trips to off-site vehicle storage lots, helping the firm compete for business from more automakers across Florida and throughout the Southeast. Under the long-term agreement, Glovis America will have full operational control of the expanded property, establishing the infrastructure needed to grow its business, the release says. 

“Our ambition is to build the most efficient, reliable, and connected finished vehicle logistics network in North America, and Tampa represents another important step in that journey,” Sergio Gutierrez, Chief Operating Officer for Glovis America, says in the release. 

Port commissioners unanimously approved a lease amendment for the expansion at Hooker’s Point in May. The amendment doubles the lease term from 10 to 20 years and provides two optional 10-year renewals, board minutes say. 

Glovis says development of the additional 32-acre expansion will progress in two phases. Work on the first 12 acres began in August, with the remaining 20 acres slated for completion by the end of 2027. That second phase includes more extensive work on the site, including stormwater infrastructure, paving and security fencing. 

According to board meeting minutes, port staff estimated the cost of improvements for that second phase at about $15 million. 

Glovis America is also renovating a 33,000-square-foot building at its Hooker’s Point terminal and developing a new car wash and body shop on the site, the release says. That building was part of a 2023 lease approved by the port that added about 10.5 acres of vehicle storage. 

Glovis has moved more than 160,000 vehicles through Port Tampa Bay since its partnership with the agency began in 2022, says Raul Alfonso, the port’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer. Those vehicles arrive at the port on roll-on/roll-off ships, which allow cars to be driven directly on and off the vessel. In February, Port Tampa Bay received its first Glois ship, the agencies say — a vessel called “Summit” that brought 500 Kia vehicles from Mexico. 

“We’re grateful for (Glovis America’s) continued investment and commitment to this operation, which positions the port to help meet Florida’s growing demand for vehicles while supporting businesses and consumers throughout the region,” Alfonso says in the release. 

The terminal expansion is one of several growth projects underway at Port Tampa Bay. The agency itself is moving forward with its biggest effort to date — a massive $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion infrastructure and channel deepening initiative that will expand the port’s roughly 42-mile-long main shipping channel from its current depth of 43 feet to 47 feet. 

That project, now in the engineering stage, will allow the port to accommodate larger, heavier cargo and cruise vessels, the agency says, bolstering regional growth and a planned fourth cruise terminal in downtown Tampa.

Florida’s largest seaport by tonnage and acreage, Port Tampa Bay spans more than 5,000 acres and supports cargo, cruise, shipbuilding and ship repair operations. It generates about $34 billion in annual economic impact and supports more than 192,000 jobs, the port says.