Port of Fernandina Tonnage Falls 85% in August, Trails 2025 by 28,000 Tons

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH — Cargo moving through the Port of Fernandina collapsed in August to 4,791 tons, an 85% drop from July and by far the port’s weakest month of 2026, as its core forest-products business virtually disappeared from the docks.

The August total was down from 31,463 tons in July and 29,678 tons in June. The port handled only two vessel calls during August, compared with five in July, and recorded four dockage days, down from 11. Average daily truck traffic fell from 34 to 20.

The decline left the port at 184,521 tons through August, nearly 28,000 tons, or 13%, behind the 212,504 tons handled during the same period in 2025.

The biggest hole was in breakbulk cargo, traditionally a mainstay at the Port of Fernandina. The August report shows no kraft linerboard, lumber, plywood or wood pulp moving through the port during the month. The port's 4,791 tons consisted almost entirely of 4,779 tons of container cargo and 12 tons of bulk cargo.

Relay Terminals President Ted McNair did not try to sugarcoat the numbers when he presented the operator's report Wednesday to the Ocean Highway and Port Authority.

“Obviously, a really tough one,” McNair said. “Not going to explain it away.”

McNair said part of the August shortfall resulted from the timing of a large vessel that slipped into early September. A more serious problem was the absence of an expected export shipment of kraft linerboard, or KLB, after mills halted Latin American flows during the month.

“We missed the KLB export,” McNair told commissioners, according to the meeting transcript. He said Relay expects that business to resume with October vessels.

The port's year-to-date figures show how dependent Fernandina remains on a relatively small number of large forest-product shipments.

Wood pulp was the only bright spot. The port moved 102,475 tons through August, 25,532 tons more than during the same period last year. But kraft linerboard was down 8,430 tons, lumber was down 13,390 tons and plywood/hardboard was down 27,205 tons.

Containers provided some stability. Container tonnage totaled 38,280 tons through August, 684 tons ahead of last year. But August container activity also weakened sharply. The port handled 614 containers and 618 twenty-foot equivalent units, compared with 1,004 containers and 1,020 TEUs in July.

Fernandina's August collapse came against a global trade picture that is considerably stronger than the local numbers suggest, although the maritime industry is contending with tariffs, higher transportation costs, geopolitical disruptions and uneven demand.

Fernandina's missing August kraft linerboard shipment was part of a wider disruption in U.S. paper exports, cargo experts reported. About 4 million tons of U.S. containerboard manufacturing capacity has disappeared since early 2025, tightening supplies and prompting American producers to reduce shipments to Latin America. Industry publication Fastmarkets reported this week that Latin American buyers struggled to obtain contracted U.S. kraft linerboard in August, with some suppliers skipping shipments altogether.

U.S. containerboard exports were already down 19% in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier, according to the American Forest & Paper Association.

OHPA Chair Ray Nelson said the port is particularly vulnerable when the economy weakens.

“It's all going to depend on the economy,” Nelson said. “If it stays sagging, hey, I learned 40 years ago, the maritime industry is the first to be pounded and the last to recover.”

Port customers are also dealing with higher operating expenses. During a discussion about whether additional fees could be imposed, McNair expressed reluctance to increase costs. One OHPA commissioner agreed, saying customers were already struggling with fuel and operating expenses.

McNair told commissioners he expects the August trough to be temporary.

He said Relay is negotiating for a large machinery export that could move through Fernandina and expects a large kraft linerboard vessel in October. Relay is also negotiating for European lumber cargo that could arrive in November or December. McNair plans to meet forest-products companies and carriers at an industry conference in Mobile, including Södra and SCA. Two other forest-products companies have contacted him seeking meetings about potential business, he said.

“I don't have the deal signed yet,” McNair said of the machinery shipment, but added that he was “fairly confident” Relay would land it.

“The next two months should be very fruitful for us,” he said.

The stakes are financial as well as operational.

“Whenever you see a number that low, you can imagine what my financials look like,” McNair told commissioners. “Nobody wants to see that, which is imperative to get more customers in here.”

Relay is interviewing finalists for a new commercial position intended to bring additional cargo to Fernandina, with McNair saying he hopes to announce a hire at an upcoming meeting. The operator also plans to provide OHPA with a more detailed report on container movements.  

August's numbers leave little margin for another month like it. The port entered September nearly 28,000 tons behind last year's pace, with its hoped-for recovery resting largely on cargo that has not yet arrived and, in some cases, deals that have not yet been signed.