The port authority estimates 77 International Longshoremen's Association jobs will be affected, along with more than 100 regional jobs for truckers, restaurateurs, and suppliers.
Sea Star said that if the economy improved, it might review the decision. Sea Star plans to transport cargo by truck and rail from Jacksonville, Fla.
Sea Star began service between San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Philadelphia in March 2010. A San Juan ship comes once a week to Tioga loaded with mangoes, coffee, tomatoes, rum, and medicine and returns with toiletries, computers, groceries, cars, gasoline, and machinery.
Tioga Terminal will still have Rickmers-Linie, which comes three times a month, and Chilean fruit vessels that come two or three times a week in the winter.
"We anticipate a healthy season next season. We are actively pursuing some other opportunities that are proprietary at this point," said Blackburn.
In August, ILA workers lost 400,000 labor hours when Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. switched from Camden's Broadway Terminal to privately owned Gloucester Terminals L.L.C.
"Del Monte was 75 ships a year. Del Monte was palletized fruit, which is much more labor intensive than the container/trailer business that Sea Star represents. It's definitely a blow, but not as big a blow," Blackburn said.
Contact staff writer Jingwen Hu at jhu@philly.com or 215-854-2625.
Inquirer staff writer Linda Loyd contributed to this article.
