Category: GA Ports Authority

The first of two mobile harbor cranes is offloaded at the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, June 30, 2020. Two new mobile harbor cranes will allow the Georgia Ports Authority to grow container handling services on the 200-acre facility. The cranes arrived by barge and were offloaded June 30 and July 1. Find print-quality images here. (Stephen B. Morton / Georgia Ports Authority)

Niche container terminal to provide new service

SAVANNAH, Ga., July 2, 2020 – Two new mobile harbor cranes have been delivered to the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal as the Georgia Ports Authority expands its container-handling and berth capacity. The cranes will offload containers from vessels carrying up to 4,800 twenty-foot equivalent container units.

“We’re developing this into a niche terminal that will provide the highest priority and service to vessels in this class,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “Expanded container service at Ocean Terminal could start as early as this year.”

Ships carrying up to 4,800-TEUs were previously served at Garden City Terminal’s Berth 1, which is slated to undergo renovation to straighten a bend. The berth renovation at Savannah’s main container port is necessary to accommodate additional 14,000-TEU ships. Berth 1 construction, when complete in 2023, will allow the GPA to handle four 14,000-TEU vessels simultaneously.

“Even during the downturn, Savannah’s market share has continued to increase,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “Making strategic investments in our future and the future of our customers is what has enabled Savannah to become the third busiest gateway in the nation for container trade.”

With a lift capacity of 125 tons, the mobile harbor cranes can be configured to handle either containers or breakbulk cargo.

Additionally, a portion of the docks at Ocean Terminal is being revamped for container ships, and new storage space will be added on terminal. By the end of Calendar Year 2020, the renovation project will deliver improvements to Berth 18, an expanded container yard for dry and refrigerated boxes, eight new rubber-tired gantry cranes, and a new truck gate with direct access to Interstate 516. The expanded container terminal will have an annual capacity of 225,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units.

“This exciting new development at OT will allow the GPA to continue to meet and exceed the needs of our customers while the improvements are being made to Berth 1 in Garden City,” said GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.

 For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Chief Communications Officer Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or corporatecommunications@gaports.com

SAVANNAH, Ga., May 31, 2020– The deepening of the Savannah harbor has set a new precedent with four dredges working simultaneously, the Army Corps of Engineers announced.

The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) includes two dredges keeping the channel at its current authorized depth of 42 feet followed by two dredges taking the channel to its new depth of 47 feet. The dredges work without disrupting the flow of commercial traffic to or from the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal and other facilities along the river.

The entire deepening project is approximately 62 percent complete. The inner harbor constitutes the final portion. The outer harbor, a roughly 20-mile channel extending into the Atlantic Ocean, has already been deepened to 49 feet at low tide.

“The Savannah District continues to manage the intensely complicated task of coordinating dredge actions and placement of dredged material to ensure safety, compliance with contract requirements and timeliness to reach our goal of completing this major deepening in January 2022,” Col. Daniel H. Hibner, commander of the Corps’ Savannah District said. “This effort ensures the harbor will improve the ability of Savannah to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.”

With finely tuned coordination, each dredge and its associated support vessels must be at the right place at the right time. The two smaller maintenance dredges remove built up shoaling and sediment, then move on followed by the larger deepening dredges. All vessels must move aside whenever commercial vessels enter their area. In addition, workers must move pipelines leading from the dredges to the dredge material disposal areas. After commercial traffic passes, everything must return to continue the routine. All dredges work 24 hours a day, every day.

“The cooperation we receive from GPA, our dredging contractors, the harbor pilots, the Coast Guard and others demonstrates the dedication this community has for deepening the Savannah harbor,” Hibner said.

The federal government and the state of Georgia share the cost of the deepening. Georgia’s Department of Transportation and the Georgia Ports Authority serve as the state sponsors for the project.

“Georgia’s ports are among our greatest economic development assets and play a critical role in creating jobs and investment opportunities across the state,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “Through the Port of Savannah, we feed the world with Georgia Grown products, and support manufacturing and retail activity across the country. The improvements we are making today through the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project will help ensure Georgia’s economic vitality for decades to come.”

GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said the progress surging ahead on SHEP is good news for port users.

“With the challenges our economy is facing, the savings a deeper harbor will mean for our customers can’t come soon enough,” Lynch said. “We’re excited to see so much work getting done as the Corps of Engineers coordinates these efforts.”

The project will allow today’s larger container vessels to enter and leave the harbor during a longer tide window and with more cargo aboard. According to a Corps of Engineers feasibility study, lower container slot costs on the larger vessels accommodated by the deeper harbor will save U.S. producers and retailers $282 million per year in transportation expenses. The study found that every dollar spent on construction will yield $7.30 in benefits.

Because the project will have such a large positive effect on the nation’s economy, SHEP has received significant federal support. In the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2020, $130.3 million is devoted to SHEP, while another $28.6 million in maintenance and operations funding is going toward Savannah River maintenance dredging.

“I would like to thank Sen. David Perdue, Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Congressman Buddy Carter for their work to ensure sufficient funding to improve this vital federal waterway,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “I would also like to thank the many staff members across the Corps of Engineers, and particularly at the Savannah District. Their efforts are recognized and appreciated by Savannah’s entire maritime community.”

More than 2.2 million staff hours have gone into the planning and construction of the Port of Savannah’s Mason Mega Rail Terminal thus far. The Georgia Ports Authority will commission its first two rail-mounted gantry crane in June.

SAVANNAH TO EXPAND RAIL CAPACITY TO 2M TEUS

SAVANNAH, Ga., May 28, 2020– Georgia Ports Authority’s Mason Mega Rail project, in the works for more than four years and designed to expand service to the Southeast and Midwestern U.S., has passed a major milestone. GPA has put into operation the first nine of 18 new working tracks, with its first two rail-mounted gantry cranes to be commissioned in June.

“At the Port of Savannah, we are working to improve the efficiency of the American supply chain and move goods to market even faster,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “These efforts are strengthening our logistics network at a time when the nation needs it most.”

Lynch said the project would not have been possible without a generous grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration.

“On behalf of the Authority, I would like to thank Admiral Mark Buzby at MARAD for his support of our vision for the Mega Rail terminal,” Lynch said. “We are also grateful for the leadership of Gov. Brian Kemp, and to the Georgia Congressional delegation, particularly Sen. David Perdue, former Sen. Johnny Isakson and Congressman Buddy Carter for their unwavering support throughout the grant application process and implementation of this critical project.”

He noted that throughout the COVID-19 crisis, dedicated GPA employees and contract workers have continued to press forward, with a daily average of more than 150 people working on the rail expansion, and more than 2.2 million staff hours expended in planning and construction since late 2015.

“Additionally, throughout all this work and the issues related to the coronavirus, GPA and our partners at the International Longshoremen’s Association have continued to provide world-class service to our customers,” Lynch said.

The project will include 18 working tracks for improved efficiency moving containers from trains to trucks.

“The Mason Mega Rail Terminal is an incredible example of the federal government and the port authority working together to keep America’s commerce moving ahead,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “Even during this crisis, the disciplined effort involved has been a testament to the vital importance we all place on this nationally significant project.”

The expansion will use an estimated $38 million of American-made steel, McKnight added. The project has so far installed 56,000 feet of new track, but will include a total of 129,000 feet when complete – or nearly 24.5 miles.

In a related development, a new overpass on State Road 25 is nearing completion. This new route will carry road traffic over eight tracks linking the current Chatham Yard on the south side of Garden City Terminal with the Mason Mega Rail site to the northwest. The overpass is expected to open in August.

The Mason Mega Rail Terminal will double the Port of Savannah’s rail capacity to 2 million twenty-foot equivalent container units per year. The added capacity will allow GPA to take on new business in a broader service area, reaching well into the U.S. Midwest.

Lynch thanked Savannah’s two Class I railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern, for providing  a competitive option for moving cargo to a Mid-American Arc of cities ranging from Memphis to Chicago. Garden City Terminal averages only 24 hours between vessel discharge and intermodal train departure. Rail transit from Savannah to Memphis provides cargo availability in just 56 hours.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Chief Communications Officer Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or corporatecommunications@gaports.com.

Vessel operations, terminal services and Monday-Friday truck gate hours continue as normal at Georgia’s ports. (Georgia Ports Authority / Stephen B. Morton)

GEORGIA TERMINALS CONTINUE TO MOVE CARGO AMID COVID-19 CRISIS

SAVANNAH, Ga., March 23, 2020 – The Port of Savannah achieved its busiest February ever last month, handling 364,405 twenty-foot equivalent container units, an increase of 17 percent over the same month last year.

Although March volumes are expected to dip due to the impact of COVID-19 compared to March 2019, all terminals remain open for business, with normal vessel operations, terminal services, and Monday-Friday truck gate hours.

“We are thankful for the confidence our customers continue to show in Georgia’s reliable transportation networks, amid such uncertainty in the market,” said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority. “The strong fundamentals at the deepwater ports of Savannah and Brunswick have fueled powerful expansions in our cargo volumes and market share; they will also help us to weather the current storm related to coronavirus disruptions.”

To help GPA prepare for the future, the Port of Savannah received three additional ship-to-shore cranes this month, bringing Garden City Terminal’s total fleet to 36. In addition, other efforts include the Mason Mega Rail project, which will double Savannah’s rail capacity; and the recent acquisition of 145 acres contiguous to Garden City Terminal, which will increase the terminal’s footprint to more than 1,300 acres and add more than 1 million TEUs in annual capacity.

“The Authority’s forward thinking means our ports will be well positioned to take advantage of new opportunities when they arise,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “Savannah is poised to lead the U.S. East Coast and the nation as we recover from the present downturn.”

For the fiscal year to date, 3.1 million TEUs have crossed the docks at Garden City Terminal, up 4 percent. As the nation’s third busiest gateway for containerized trade, Savannah now handles more than one in five containers crossing U.S. East Coast docks.

In his report to the board Monday, Lynch described current efforts to keep cargo flowing during the COVID-19 crisis, that include adding new capacity for container storage, allowing some workers to telecommute, and strict observance of CDC and state of Georgia policies to prevent the spread of the virus.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Chief Communications Officer Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or corporatecommunications@gaports.com.

New space devoted to loaded container storage at the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal will give customers an additional 400,000 TEUs of annual container handling capacity. (Georgia Ports Authority)

DELIVERS NEW FLEXIBILITY TO PORT CUSTOMERS

SAVANNAH, Ga., March 19, 2020 – The Port of Savannah is bringing online 400,000 TEUs of annual container capacity at just the time when many port customers are seeking new storage options.

“With slowing demand related to the coronavirus, port users need space to stage their cargo until that demand returns,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. “With these new container stack areas, Savannah is delivering the flexibility our customers need.”

GPA recently added container slots totaling nearly 5,000 TEUs of space to its operation. By mid-April, more than 6,000 TEUs of capacity will go into service, for a total of 11,130 TEUs of new container stacking space. These additions will increase Savannah’s annual capacity by 400,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units, for a new total capacity of 6 million TEUs per year.

“Our terminals continue to function with operational ease and efficiency,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “From time to time, spikes in demand occur because of new customer needs or other factors impacting the global supply chain. Through the Authority’s steady investment in capacity, GPA is able to handle unexpected surges in container yard demand, whatever the cause.”

At 1,345 acres, the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal is the largest single-operator container terminal in North America. Its nearly 10,000 feet of contiguous dock space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. This allows greater scheduling flexibility for the 36 container ship services that call on the Port of Savannah. Garden City Terminal also features on-terminal rail service from CSX and Norfolk Southern, three major truck gates and 50 truck lanes.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Chief Communications Officer Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or corporatecommunications@gaports.com.

The cargo ship BigLift Barentsz sails past historic River Street to the Port of Savannah with three new Neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. When fully assembled, the cranes will stand 295 tall, with booms reaching 22 containers across. (Georgia Ports Authority / Stephen B. Morton)

MOST CRANES OF ANY NORTH AMERICAN TERMINAL

SAVANNAH, Ga., March 11, 2020 – The Port of Savannah received three Neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes on Tuesday, bringing its total to 36, more than any other single terminal in North America.

“Along with dock improvements at Garden City Terminal, our growing crane fleet will allow Savannah to serve four 14,000-TEU vessels simultaneously by 2023,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. “We’re already moving containers from vessel to rail in 24 hours, and these investments will help to ensure cargo fluidity as our business grows.”

The new cranes, designed by Konecranes of Finland, will immediately undergo a commissioning process. The first new crane will go into service in approximately 12 weeks, and all three will be loading and unloading vessels by the end of June.

“The decision to invest in these cranes was made two and a half years ago to meet growing cargo demands,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “By adding new capacity on our docks, Savannah’s position as the Southeast’s cargo hub will continue to attract new customers, additional market share and new opportunities for growth.”

In December 2019, three additional cranes arrived in Savannah. Among the largest working the nation’s ports today, the new cranes tower 295 feet above the docks when fully raised and assembled.

Of the cranes that arrived in December, the first is already in use. The second crane is in its final commissioning phase and should be in use in the third week of March. The boom of the third crane was raised last week, and should be in operation by April.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017. 

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Chief Communications Officer Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or corporatecommunications@gaports.com.

The Port of Savannah moved a record 4.6 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in Calendar Year 2019. (Georgia Ports Authority / Jeremy Polston)

NEW TERMINALS, BIG SHIP BERTH SPACE IN THE WORKS

SEA ISLAND, Ga., Feb. 4, 2020– At the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference Tuesday, Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, announced the acquisition of 145 contiguous acres to the Port of Savannah, or more than 1 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in annual capacity.

“As the Georgia Ports Authority enters its 75th year, we are proud to follow in the tradition of those who came before us, making exciting advances in capacity and technology to ensure our terminals remain at the forefront of global commerce,”

Lynch said. “This is the largest addition of container terminal space in Savannah in more than 20 years, and represents a powerful opportunity for Georgia to take on new trade.”

During his presentation, Lynch also announced that Garden City Terminal dock construction had been completed, and can now serve three 14,000-TEU vessels, and up to eight vessels simultaneously.

The improved dock and additional container yard space are part of a larger blueprint to increase the GPA’s capacity to more than 9 million TEUs by 2030. By 2023, the GPA will add an additional berth, for a total of four big ship vessel slots.

“The expansion at our deepwater ports in both Savannah and Brunswick is helping to fuel growth, and in turn investment, jobs and increased competitiveness on the global stage,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “With the kind of investment and infrastructure development announced today, Georgia’s ports will undoubtedly stay ahead of the curve and the competition.”

In order to improve service, Savannah’s Ocean Terminal will be partially converted to handle containers. Renovations at Ocean Terminal, located just downriver from the main container port, will include a new truck gate, upgraded container yards and rubber-tired gantry cranes for container operations.

“This exciting new development will allow the GPA to continue to meet and exceed the needs of our customers,” Lynch said.

Construction is currently under way on the upgrades. Phase I of the Ocean Terminal container yard is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Lynch also outlined plans for the new Savannah Container Terminal, a nearly 200-acre facility to be built on Hutchinson Island. The new facility will have a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs when fully developed. Phase I is projected to come online in 2025.

To ensure the GPA remains on the cutting edge of port staffing and technology, Lynch announced an expansion of the Authority’s Y.E.S (Youth learning Equipment and Safety) program, in which high school graduates are hired and trained for equipment operator careers. GPA hopes to begin hiring 50 recent graduates per year to help meet staffing needs.

Lynch also unveiled Tuesday a new program, dubbed GET SET (Sustainability, Efficiency, Technology).

“The GET SET program is a competitive juried contest for college students in Georgia, in which they will be challenged to put forth innovative solutions to issues faced by the maritime logistics community,” Lynch said. “Students or student teams submitting winning entries will receive a cash prize totaling $25,000.”

He said the Authority will be working with universities across the state to integrate the GET SET program into their curricula over the next year, with the first prize being awarded in the summer of 2021.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Chief Communications Officer Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855.