Curtis J Foltz News

Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) executive director Curtis J. Foltz will step down at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, the port authority’s board of directors announced today. The board unanimously accepted the nominating committee's recommendation to appoint the current chief operating officer, Griff Lynch, to succeed Foltz, who will provide consulting services to the GPA for one year after his departure. “Curtis Foltz has led the GPA to achieve great things over the past six years as executive director…

The Georgia Ports Authority welcomed the largest ship ever to call on the Port of Savannah today when the ZIM Tianjin docked at Garden City Terminal. "This 10,000-TEU vessel represents the future of U.S.-Asia shipping," said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz. The ship measures 1,145 feet long by 150 feet wide. Stood on end, it would stand nearly as tall as the Empire State Building (1,454 feet, including its antenna). The vessel's route originated in Qingdao, China, arriving on the U.S. East Coast via the Suez Canal. "The port call by the ZIM Tianjin is another example of the strong and long standing professional relationship between GPA and ZIM," said ZIM Vice President Brian Black.

The assumption that trade conditions and infrastructure will drive future transportation changes will be the overriding theme at the sixth annual American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) “Shifting International Trade Routes” workshop in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 24-25, 2013. The 1½-day program, which is being cosponsored by the U.S. Maritime Administration and hosted by the Tampa Port Authority, will address the range of issues related to dynamic, global and hemispheric trade.

Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced the ports saw a growth rate of 5.0 percent in the first quarter of  FY2012, moving 6.5 million tons of freight. Over the same period in FY2011, the port moved 6.2 million tons of cargo. Measured in twenty-foot equivalent units, the GPA’s container volumes saw growth of 3.7 percent. During the July through September period, the ports moved 770,190 TEUs, compared with 742,593 last year. The positive quarterly container results were aided by an early peak shipment of holiday goods, which occurred during September, delivering 11.1 percent TEU growth for the month. “We are developing new opportunities for growth during these challenging economic times,” Foltz said.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), which owns and operates the Port of Savannah, renewed their ties today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU, renewable for five years, was first signed in July 2003 and aims to unify efforts to encourage mutual economic benefits. “Considering the importance of the Port of Savannah and its Savannah Harbor Expansion Project in the logistics chain and in the ‘All-Water Route,’ we are…

Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced that the GPA handled more than 2.9 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit containers) at the Port of Savannah, more than 465,000 automobiles and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and nearly 2.2 million breakbulk tons for all terminals in fiscal year 2011 (July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011). “The Georgia Ports Authority’s double-digit growth is significant for our state in a recovering economy because it creates additional jobs,” said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal. In FY2011, the GPA handled 2,927,338 TEUs, which is an 11 percent increase or an additional 289,595 TEUs compared with the previous year.

The Board of Directors of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has re-elected Alec L. Poitevint, II, of Bainbridge to serve a second term as Chairman of the Board. Other Board members elected to one-year offices were Robert S. Jepson, Jr. of Savannah as Vice Chairman and Roy H. Fickling of Macon as Secretary and Treasurer. The GPA also announced overall tonnage for the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick reached the second highest monthly volume ever in May with 2,352,302 tons, which was a 16.7 percent increase compared with May 2010. “While the global economy continues its modest and fragile recovery, the GPA reported increases in all category groups,” said GPA’s Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz.

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), in coordination with the Georgia Ports Authority, will host the seminar Communicating the Importance of Infrastructure Investment, June 21-23, at the Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Ga. Targeting public and government relations professionals throughout the freight transportation industry, the conference will focus on effectively communicating with policymakers, and those who influence policy, on the benefits of freight infrastructure improvements. “We appreciate the work the AAPA does on behalf of our seaports and look forward to this informative communications seminar that will help those who advocate for freight,” said GPA’s Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz.

Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations has selected the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal to handle auto parts in containers for its new plant in Tennessee. “We look forward to this new partnership with the Port of Savannah and appreciate the commitment the Georgia Ports Authority has made to work closely with our team,” said Laszlo Juhasz, General Manager Logistics of Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations LLC. Volkswagen Chattanooga rolled its first car, a Passat SEL, off the line last month.

Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced that Maersk has added the Port of Savannah to its newest all-water service, Spondylus. Named for the seashell that once was used as currency for trade by Andeans in Ecuador, the new service will call on Savannah weekly. “We appreciate Maersk’s confidence in our ability to handle its container volume now and in the future,” said Foltz. The service first called on Garden City Terminal on February 23, 2011.

Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced that Colonel’s Island Terminal marked its highest tonnage volume ever at the State of the Port address. He also outlined actions required to achieve continued growth and prepare the Port of Brunswick for future prosperity. “The Port of Brunswick experienced a remarkable recovery in FY 2010 (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010),” said Foltz. In FY2010, GPA posted its best year ever for agri-bulk exporting more than one million tons, which was a 37-percent increase compared with FY2009. Soybeans nearly doubled with a 93-percent increase compared with FY2009, as a strong export to Asia. Other commodities included soybean meal, barley malt and wheat.

Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced the Port of Savannah experienced 20.1-percent growth in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for the first three months of FY2011 (July – September 2010), a record for the Authority. “The first quarter of 2011, once again, showed that the Port of Savannah is not only increasing its value and market share by record numbers, but also its importance to the national logistics and transportation system,” said Foltz. “Today, the Port of Savannah serves 44 percent of this country’s population with majority exports. In the first three months of FY2011, the GPA moved 742,637 TEUs, which is a 20.1-percent increase compared with 618,256 TEUs moved in first quarter FY2010.

Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced the GPA experienced 22% container growth in August and has recorded nine consecutive months of double-digit growth. “August represented the second highest total containers handled through our ports, and the month’s total volume was only slightly behind the record set in July 2010,” said Foltz. In August 2010, the GPA moved 139,281 containers, which was a 22% increase compared with 114,162 containers moved in August 2009. Overall tonnage yielded 2,069,501 tons, which was a 10.2-percent increase compared with August 2009. “Market conditions seem to be moderating somewhat from the prior six months and are expected to steadily decline through mid-year 2011…

Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced that the GPA moved more than a quarter million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in July 2010, marking the best month ever in GPA’s history and continuing eight consecutive months of double-digit growth. “We have set a new benchmark for monthly volume at the Port of Savannah by moving more than a quarter million TEUs in July,” said Foltz. “Our strategic planning has ensured that Georgia’s deepwater ports are poised to handle the growth demands necessary to advance economic development and opportunity. In July 2010, the GPA moved 251,126 TEUs, which is a 20.7 %percent increase or an additional 43,040 TEUs compared with July 2009 volume.

Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced the results of a study that confirms Georgia’s deepwater ports continue to be one of the state’s strongest economic engines, fostering the development of virtually every industry. “I am pleased to report that the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick have maintained and created jobs for Georgia, despite the recent economic downturn,” GPA’s Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz. The study entitled, “The Economic Impact of Georgia’s Deepwater Ports on Georgia’s Economy in FY2009” reveals, that even during one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression, Georgia’s ports sustained jobs and increased its economic impact for the state.

Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced that the GPA experienced 25.6% container growth in April and has recorded five consecutive months of double-digit growth through its ports. “The volume increases experienced in most commodity groups signals a continued economic recovery in most global markets,” said Foltz. “We are especially pleased that our ports are adding new jobs. Overall tonnage for April 2010 reported gains of 16.4%, which brings the GPA’s fiscal year-to-date (July 2009 through April 2010) volume to a 6% increase compared with the same time period last year. Export containers continued to lead the recovery, posting a 30.4% increase. “A relatively weak U.S.

Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced that a new set of electrified refrigerated container racks were completed and came online in Container Berth Five (CB-5) last week. With the ten new racks, Garden City Terminal now has a total of 44 racks, which accommodate 1,056 containers. “The completion of these refrigerated container racks reduces diesel consumption and increases our capacity for cold-storage exports,” said Foltz. As the leading U.S. East Coast port for refrigerated containerized export cargo, the GPA has more than doubled its refrigerated cargo volume in last six years with an increase of 120 percent. In the past two years alone, volume has increased 19.8 percent.