Georgia Ports Authority Board News

Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch outlined a plan that will double container handling capacity to 10 million TEUs at Garden City Terminal within 10 years. "Georgia is home to both the single largest container and roll-on/roll-off facilities in North America," Lynch said. Lynch provided an overview of GPA's 2028 Plan that calls for 42 ship-to-shore cranes, 200 yard cranes, new RTG lanes and significant intermodal expansion in Savannah. The GPA will soon open its second inland terminal in Northwest Georgia and break ground on the Mason Mega Rail project at Garden City Terminal. Combined, both intermodal projects will open new markets while significantly reducing rail crossings and over the road freight through Savannah, Atlanta and beyond.

At the Georgia Ports Authority board meeting Monday, Executive Director Griff Lynch reported the GPA achieved an August record of 330,846 twenty-foot equivalent container units, a robust increase of 5 percent compared to August 2015. "August container unit volumes were the third highest in the Authority's history, behind April and May 2015 at the height of diverted cargo from the West Coast," Lynch said. Total cargo across all terminals reached 2.62 million tons in August, an increase of 117,470 tons, or 4.7 percent.

Konecranes will deliver 4 Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes and 20 Rubber-Tired-Gantry (RTG) cranes to Georgia Ports Authority in the US. The Georgia Ports Authority Board recently approved more than $80 million to purchase the cranes to be used to handle containers at Garden City Terminal. The cranes are scheduled to arrive to Savannah by March 2016. The order will be booked in the second quarter 2014. “Our continued infrastructure investments enable us to work larger vessels and provide faster service to our customers,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “We are proud to be part of GPA’s growth” says Tuomas Saastamoinen, Konecranes’ Sales and Marketing Director, Port Cranes.

The Georgia Ports Authority Board approved Monday $86.5 million to purchase four new ship-to-shore cranes and 20 new rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) used to handle containers at Garden City Terminal. “Our continued infrastructure investments enable us to work larger vessels and provide faster service to our customers,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. This latest order of new cranes is scheduled to arrive in February 2016, and will give GPA a total of 20 Super Post-Panamax cranes and nine Post-Panamax cranes, more than any other single, self-funded terminal in the U.S.

At the Georgia Ports Authority board meeting Monday, Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported that the GPA achieved record volumes and added additional customer accounts in October. "Strong growth, new customer accounts and additional harbor deepening funding announced this month are all positive signs that Georgia's ports are moving in the right direction," said Foltz. Georgia ports moved a record 2.54 million tons of cargo during October – a 22% increase over the same month a year ago. The Colonel’s Island Terminal at the Port of Brunswick and Savannah’s Ocean Terminal combined to move a record 62,343 units of automobiles and heavy machinery in October, for an increase of 10,045 or 19.2% over October 2012.

Nordic Cold Storage announced the grand opening of the first phase of its storage and blast facility, located just minutes from the Port of Savannah. The site has over 200,000 square-feet of convertible temperature-controlled storage space and is capable of blasting more than 10 million pounds of product, ranging from fresh poultry to produce, per week. This $30 million facility currently employs 150 workers, but Nordic plans to start a second phase by the end of the year, which will mirror the existing infrastructure. The cold storage warehouse began receiving its first shipments this month.

In a visit to the Port of Savannah, Panama’s Minister for Canal Affairs Roberto Roy described progress on the canal expansion and heard the latest news on deepening the Savannah Harbor to 47 feet. “With the historic expansion of the Panama Canal nearing completion, I applaud Georgia for making the improvement of its port infrastructure a fiscal priority,” said Roy, who also serves as Panama Canal Board Chairman. The Record of Decision, signifying final federal approval for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, was issued in October 2012.

Gov. Nathan Deal has announced that as part of his FY2014 budget proposal, he will seek an additional $50 million in funding for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project at the Georgia Ports Authority Board meeting. “I am committed to allocating funds and time to this pivotal link in our logistics network,”said Deal. “Expanding the Savannah Harbor is vital to our renewed economic growth and plays an integral role in helping make our state the No. If approved, the proposal will increase state funding for the deepening project to $231.1 million. “Studies indicate that the port deepening will reduce shipping costs by at least $213 million a year,” said Georgia Ports Authority Board Chairman Robert Jepson. Overall, the cost of the project is anticipated to be $652 million.

Georgia Governor, Nathan Deal visited the Port of Savannah on April 24, 2012 to mark the passage of the state budget, including an additional $46.7 million to help pay for the Savannah Harbor deepening. The new money, passed by the General Assembly as part of the Governor’s FY2013 budget request, brings the total of dedicated state dollars to $181.1 million. “The strong support that business and elected leaders across Georgia have shown for this project is justified, based on federal findings,” Deal said. Governor Deal’s visit comes after the April 11 release of the U.S.