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Savannah Harbor Expansion News

28 Mar 2022

Savannah Harbor Deepening Complete

(Photo: Georgia Ports Authority)

Dredging work to deepen Savannah Harbor has wrapped up, reducing tidal restrictions for mega-ships transiting the Savannah River to clear the way for expedited cargo movement.Dredging for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project started in September 2015, adding five feet in depth to the shipping channel. Initial feasibility studies for the harbor deepening began in 1997.“After more than 20 years in the making, we are thrilled to mark this accomplishment today,” said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority.

12 Feb 2020

Dredging at the Forefront of Corps' 2020 Work Plan

(Photo: Dredging Contractors of America)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' FY2020 Work Plan release on Monday places dredging at the forefront.“We welcome the FY 2020 Work Plan released by the Army Corps,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. “We’re ready – our dredging companies are hard at work on projects and continue to build new dredging ships for America’s ports, waterways and beaches.”The Work Plan is based on the FY2020 Energy and Water Development appropriations bills signed into law by President Trump in December 2019.In December 2019…

27 Nov 2019

DOMESTIC DREDGING: U.S. Ports Require a Diverse Fleet

Image: CREDIT Cashman Dredging

The reasons for that are many and these realities cater to regulatory, commercial and regional needs.The U.S. dredging market is complex and relies on the diverse fleet of private dredging companies to get the job done. In addition to design and technical capabilities, environmental restrictions and regulations often dictate whether a trailing suction hopper dredge, cutter suction dredge, or mechanical dredge can respond to the coastal protection, wetland restoration, port deepening, and channel maintenance needs of the Nation.

16 Sep 2019

GPA to Double Capacity, Draws $5Bln Investment

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has revealed plans to double capacity at Garden City Terminal to 11 million twenty-foot equivalent container units per year.In Fiscal Year 2019, port-related industries announced $5 billion in new investment and 12,000 new jobs coming to Georgia.Port-related announcements of expansions and new business accounted for nearly $5 billion in investment and 12,000 jobs across the state of Georgia in Fiscal Year 2019, a year in which the Port of Savannah moved a record 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units.“The manufacturing and logistics sectors are key components of our economy, and I am excited for the opportunities created for hardworking Georgians,” said Gov. Brian Kemp.

01 Mar 2019

Insuring the Marine Industry’s Risky Work Environment

File Image / CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Currahee Shutter

From high-traffic ports to bustling boatyards, and busy shipyards to expanding marinas, marine professionals operate in a challenging environment. They work on land, on or around water, and are exposed to all kinds of weather. And the challenges won’t ease up any time soon. Our nation’s ports continue to expand as trade surges. Add in increased commercial vessel traffic and recreational boating, and it’s clear that marine businesses have to be in shipshape condition. It means that the marine insurance industry has to stay on its toes too…

29 Jan 2019

Savannah's TEU count grows 7.5 percent in 2018

Intermodal operations in the port of Savannah, GA (CREDIT: GPA / Stephen Morton)

As infrastructure expands to handle new business, the Port of Savannah moved more than 350,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units in December. Nine of the Georgia Ports Authority's 10 busiest months were in 2018. The Port of Savannah moved 4.35 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in Calendar Year 2018, its highest annual volume ever, and a 7.5 percent increase over 2017, according to a report from Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch to the GPA Board Tuesday.

28 Mar 2018

Georgia Ports: Mason Mega Rail Breaks Ground

The Georgia Ports Authority broke ground on its $126.7 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal Monday. The expansion will increase the Port of Savannah's rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year, and open new markets spanning an arc of cities from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati. "Today is a great day for Georgia and the nation," said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal. The Mega Rail ground breaking is the latest in a series of Gov. Deal's signature projects designed to make Georgia the transportation and logistics hub of North America - which include the recent announcement of 50 percent completion of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, a new inland terminal in Northwest Georgia, and a $10 billion statewide transportation improvement plan.

21 Mar 2018

American Pride: Working Hard in the US Dredging Industry

World Marine of Alabama (WMA) completed work on a contract valued at over $14 million to drydock and repair the Dredge Wheeler, a hopper dredge owned and operated by the USACE. (Photo: WMA)

We have had a great first couple of months at the Dredging Contractors of America. As the new CEO and Executive Director, I have begun to visit the companies, their facilities and associated dredging projects. So far, I have surveyed the beach re-nourishment project in Ocean City, Md. undertaken by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock. I’ve canvassed Weeks Marine’s repair and yard facility in Jersey City, N.J. In the last week of February, I visited Mike Hooks Inc.’s corporate headquarters and boatbuilding and repair yard in West Lake, La.

06 Feb 2018

Georgia Ports Plans 10 Million TEU of Growth by 2028

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.

15 May 2017

Savannah Port Welcomes Record Cargo Ship

Governor Nathan Deal, Port of Savannah officials and the maritime community were on hand to welcome the COSCO Development, the largest containership to ever call on the U.S. East Coast as it handled 5,500 containers, a record for Georgia’s ports. “This is another example of how the Port of Savannah is the gateway not just for the U.S. Southeast, but for America’s East Coast,” said Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. During the ship’s 30 hours at dock, up to six cranes moved 10,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent container Units) on and off the vessel, which translated into more than 50 percent of the vessel’s entire volume for its maiden voyage to the U.S. East Coast. With a capacity of 13,092 twenty-foot equivalent container units, the Development measures 1,201 feet long and 158 feet wide.

19 Sep 2016

GPA Marks Record August Box Volumes

The Port of Savannah is poised to rapidly increase service to an arc of inland markets, from Atlanta to Memphis, to St. Louis, Chicago and the Ohio Valley. Key to expanding rail service is a $128M project linking Garden City Terminal's two rail yards.   (Georgia Ports Authority / Stephen B. Morton)

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.

28 May 2015

Savannah Harbor Expansion Project Update

GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz, left, and Lt. General Thomas Bostick, commander of the USACE, give an update on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project as cranes work a vessel, Thursday, May 28, 2015, at the Garden City Terminal near Savannah, Ga. (Photo: Georgia Ports Authority/Stephen B. Morton)

Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, visited the Port of Savannah on Thursday, for an update on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). "The SHEP will create economic opportunity not only across Georgia, but throughout the Southeast," said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal. The harbor deepening, currently in the construction phase, will deepen the shipping channel from 42 to 47 feet at mean low water. This will allow today's larger, more efficient vessels to transit the channel with heavier loads and greater scheduling flexibility.

19 Mar 2015

Largest Ship Ever Calls on Savannah

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.

10 Mar 2015

Contract Awarded for Savannah Harbor Dredging

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $134.5 million contract to the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company to begin dredging work for the expansion of the Savannah Harbor. The project, known as the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) deepening the entrance channel to a depth of 47 feet and represents the first step in deepening the 40 mile long shipping channel and harbor. It's intended to enable larger container ships to use the harbor. Great Lakes plans on using a mix of cutter suction and hopper dredges to perform the work. Dredging operations are expected to commence later this year and be completed by summer 2018. The project is part of the $706 million Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). Georgia has committed $266 million to that project.

10 Jun 2014

President Signs WRRDA into Law

Containership in the port of Savannah, GA

Savannah port deepening gets green light. With the president’s signing today of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) is authorized to begin construction. “With today’s action, SHEP has officially received a green light,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. "This project is the result of an open and collaborative process involving all interested stakeholders which received approval of multiple regulatory agencies.

23 May 2014

WRRDA Spurs Savannah Harbor Expansion

A containership makes its way up the Savannah River to the Georgia Ports Authority Garden City container terminal in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo: Georgia Ports Authority/Stephen Morton)

The U.S. Senate’s passage of the federal Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA) has cleared the way for construction to begin on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. The House passed identical legislation on Tuesday. Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz called the bill’s passage a critical milestone. “Today’s action is an important step toward better accommodating the larger vessels that are the new standard in global shipping,” said Foltz.

24 Mar 2014

GPA Reports 6% Container Growth

The Georgia Ports Authority has moved more than 2 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) so far this fiscal year (July-February), for an increase of 6.2 percent or an additional 119,318 TEUs. “The strong growth experienced throughout our business sectors this fiscal year demonstrates the resilience and strength of the Southeast market, and a positive return on the continued investments in Georgia’s ports, rail, roads and logistical supply chain,” GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported to the authority board Monday.

20 Mar 2014

Georgia Increases Funding for Port Deepening

The $35 million in additional port deepening funds proposed by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has been approved by the state legislature and now awaits the governor’s signature. Along with previous funding, Georgia has now allocated $266 million, fulfilling the state’s portion of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). “Lawmakers across Georgia recognize that improving the Savannah Harbor is critically important to the continued economic health of this state and region,” Deal said.

27 Jan 2014

Tonnage Totals Grow 8% at Georgia Ports

Four new ship-to-shore cranes were commissioned at the Georgia Ports Authority's Garden City Terminal In October 2013 (photo: Georgia Ports Authority)

For the first six months of Fiscal Year 2014, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) said it has logged 8 percent growth in total tonnage. From July through December 2013, the GPA moved 14.36 million tons of cargo, up from 13.3 million tons over the same period in the previous fiscal year, GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported to the authority board Monday. “Strong volumes in container traffic, bulk cargo and auto and machinery units for the month of December contributed to this successful mid-year report,” said Foltz.

25 Nov 2013

GPA Achieves Records in Total Tonnage, Autos

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.

16 Sep 2013

Biden: U.S. Harbors Must be Deepened

GPA Board Chairman Robert Jepson, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and GPA’s Executive Director Curtis Foltz in front of the Maersk vessel Atlanta, Monday at the Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City Terminal. The officials gathered just before Vice President Joe Biden shared remarks at the Port of Savannah. (GPA photo/Luke Smith)

In Savannah visit, Georgia officials accompany Vice President. After touring the Port of Savannah Monday, Vice President Joe Biden called for expediting port improvement projects on the U.S. East Coast. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Fox, Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, Congressman Jack Kingston, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson accompanied the vice president on the tour. “I appreciate the opportunity to show Vice President Biden the Port of Savannah firsthand…

29 Jul 2013

Georgia Port Records All-time Tonnage Highs

The Georgia Ports Authority marked record volumes for fiscal year 2013 in total tonnage, bulk cargo, total auto-machinery units, and freight moved by intermodal rail. “Our deepwater ports provide vital support to our agricultural, forestry and manufacturing sectors,” said Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. “Because American-made goods are able to reach the global market efficiently through Georgia’s ports, these products are more competitive in international trade. GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz said record levels achieved across important business sectors in fiscal year 2013 are a testament to the superior service enjoyed by the customers of the GPA.

24 Jun 2013

Jepson to Serve Second Term as GPA Chairman

The Board of Directors of the Georgia Ports Authority today elected Robert S. Jepson Jr. of Savannah to serve a second term as chairman of the board. Jepson was first appointed to the Board of Directors in 2008 and previously served as vice chairman. The new vice chairman will be James A. Walters, and Stephen S. Green will serve as secretary/treasurer. “Bob Jepson’s steady leadership is exactly what is needed as we shepherd important rail, highway and maritime infrastructure projects to completion,” said Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. “Over the past year, we have made significant strides in moving SHEP toward construction,” Jepson said. Jepson commended Gov.