Multinational shipping company to lease at least 33 acres from Port Tampa Bay
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 20, 2024

Agunsa USA Inc. will lease at least 33 acres from Port Tampa Bay to develop a marine cargo terminal and distribution facility.

Port commissioners on Tuesday approved two separate land deals with the logistics company, which is affiliated with Chile-based Agencias Universales SA and Grupo Empresas Navieras SA.

The distribution facility at Hookers Point will take the place of a project announced in February 2023, when Baltimore-based Tradepoint Atlantic said it would invest $50 million into a Tampa facility. Port spokesperson Lisa Wolf-Chason said the lease was never executed; thus, there were no penalties for backing out.

"Tradepoint wasn't able to move as quickly as we wanted, so that lease never finalized," Wolf-Chason wrote. "Meanwhile, Agunsa then approached us and wanted to proceed with the project."

Agunsa, also known as AGS, recently began operating a terminal at Seaport Manatee about 37 miles south of Port Tampa Bay — its second such facility in the United States in addition to one at Port Everglades. AGS acquired a 75% stake in the 10-acre Manatee terminal in 2023, according to a presentation made Tuesday.

The new terminal and distribution center in Tampa further cements the Latin America-to-Florida pipeline, AGS CEO Maximiliano Urenda said. Mexico, in particular, is experiencing a nearshoring boom.

"We have a very big footprint in different parts of the world," Urenda told port commissioners on Tuesday.

Port Tampa Bay CEO Paul Anderson said this should mark the company's most significant U.S. investment. AGS plans to put its marine cargo facility at the southern edge of Causeway Boulevard on about 18.5 acres but could also add about 10 more acres on yet-to-be-filled-in land. The distribution facility, meanwhile, should be built on approximately 15 acres at the aforementioned vacant parcel at Hookers Point. AGS also has the "right of first opportunity" on over 30 more acres on Hookers Point.

"We have great excitement and expectations about our partnership," said Anderson, who credited Port Tampa Bay Chief Commercial Officer Raul Alfonso with helping to secure the 20-year deal.

AGS will pay $30,000 per acre per year on the Hookers Point property before rent eventually increases to $40,000 per acre per year. The previous deal with Tradepoint also started at $30,000. If Port Tampa Bay and AGS agree to a lease extension of 10 years, rent would then be indexed to inflation. The Eastport marine terminal, meanwhile, will start with a rent of $55,000 per acre per year with annual increases in accordance with the consumer price index (but no more than 5%).

The company posted a job listing last week for a general manager at the Tampa marine terminal, offering a starting salary of $200,000. In February, AGS signaled its interest in Tampa by acquiring a "significant stake" in Tampa-based A.R. Savage & Son.

"Thank you for choosing Tampa," said Mayor Jane Castor, who sits on the port board. "We're glad you're here."

Commissioner Patrick Allman encouraged AGS to pressure port staff to bring rail to its distribution facility and to collaborate with existing port customers at Berth 150.

Also on Tuesday, commissioners approved an approximately $21.5 million contract (including a $1.5 million contingency for unexpected costs) with Orion Marine Construction for the construction of a new Berth 218 wharf. Titan America LLC, a Virginia-based building materials company, will use the berth to take pressure off the adjacent Berth 219.

Permits on the project are still pending — approvals are taking "longer and longer and longer," VP of Engineering Patrick Blair said — but should be ready by the time the steel bulkhead arrives, a material facing long lead times.