Georgia Ports Authority News

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has marked the official opening of its South Atlantic hub - the Brunswick terminal, Equipment Processing Center (EPC) and Vehicle Processing Center (VPC). The grand opening marks another strategic investment for the Wallenius Wilhelmsen group with the signing of a 20-year lease with the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), with options of up to 30 years. With this investment, Wallenius Wilhelmsen has enhanced its position to serve the American market and expanded the scope of our South Atlantic operations.“Brunswick…

The initial design for a new ammonia bunkering articulated tug-barge (ATB) has been granted approval in principle (AIP) from classification society the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).The partners behind the project, including ABS, A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S, Fleet Management Limited, Georgia Ports Authority, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS), Sumitomo Corporation and TOTE Services, came together in March 2023 and have been conducting a feasibility study on ship-to-ship bunkering of reduced emission ammonia along the U.S.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has signed a 20-year lease agreement with the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), with options up to 30 years for Brunswick port expansion, increasing its strategic terminal and processing networkUpgraded and enlarged Brunswick facilities will further expand the scope and scale of U.S. Southeast operations of Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which is the world's largest RoRo vessel operator.The Brunswick expansion will further cement the company’s position as the favored partner for North American customers…

A large number of ports across the United States are making headway toward ambitious decarbonization targets, but many are running up against significant challenges that threaten their progress, according to a new report from classification society ABS and trade group the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA).Financial constraints, low technology readiness and physical space limitations are among key obstacles identified the ABS and AAPA report, "Port Decarbonization Survey: Trends and Lessons Learned"…

The catastrophic bridge collapse that closed the Port of Baltimore to ship traffic is unlikely to trigger a major new U.S. supply chain crisis or spike goods prices, due to ample and growing spare capacity at competing East Coast ports, economists and logistics experts say.With six people still missing after a container ship collision destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, it remained unclear how long the span's twisted superstructure would block the harbor's mouth.But port officials…

Like many ports, the Alaskan Port of Homer faces aging infrastructure and capital needs well beyond the local funding capacity. The port is a key link in the supply chain for 47 remote, rural, disadvantaged or Alaska Native communities served by Homer, making proposed port infrastructure upgrades critical for shipping statewide as well as for the local community.Enter the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This unprecedented…

Zero emission is a nice idea, but who’s going to pay for it? The U.S. EPA is readying big money for zero emission ports.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on two high-profile port initiatives that it hopes will move the needle in a big way towards U.S. ports’ zero emissions (ZE) operations and clean air goals.The first initiative started last May when EPA published a request for information and comments that would help the Agency develop Guidance it could use to evaluate funding requests for projects for zero-emission vehicles, port equipment and related infrastructure.

The US Port of Savannah has taken delivery of four Super Post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, upgrading the crane fleet to 34 machines at Garden City Terminal after four older cranes are retired and recycled.Along with the completion of our project to improve Berth 1, these cranes will help deliver faster turn times to our ocean carrier customers, including the largest vessels calling on the U.S. East Coast, said Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority president and CEO. “No other terminal in the nation can bring more cranes to bear…

An international group of maritime industry partners are conducting a feasibility study with the aim to establish a commercially viable green ammonia ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering network on the U.S. East Coast.The study, to be carried out at the Port of Savannah in Georgia, will cover the entire end-to-end supply chain of ammonia bunkering, which includes the development of a cost-effective green ammonia supply chain, the design of an ammonia bunkering articulated tug-barge (ATB)…

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.

The White House on Tuesday unveiled a new pilot effort to help clear supply chain bottlenecks at congested U.S. ports by getting truckers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers and other businesses to share information.U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese launched the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW), an information sharing initiative "to pilot key freight information exchange between parts of the goods movement…

On Monday at the Port of Savannah, representatives from Gateway Terminals, the International Longshoremen’s Association and the Georgia Ports Authority joined to mark the first container moved under the direction of Gateway, a new joint venture company combining locally the three legacies of Ports America, Ceres Marine Terminals and SSA Atlantic.Ports America, Ceres Marine Terminals and SSA Atlantic have consolidated container terminal, truck gate and stevedoring services under Gateway Terminals to streamline their activities.

Helicopter and boat crews are scouring the Port of Savannah in search of a crewmember who fell overboard from a containership in the Georgia seaport on Tuesday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Charleston were notified at approximately 3 a.m., Tuesday by Georgia Ports Authority that a 70-year-old man was missing from the Maersk Tukang.The crewmember did not resurface after falling into the water from a gangway while boarding the Singapore-flagged ship, a Coast Guard spokesperson told MarineLink.The Coast Guard said it has deployed a HH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Air Station Savannah and a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Station Tybee Island to search for the missing man.Crews from Department of Natural Resources…

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.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has plans for a new container port on Hutchinson Island to increase the capacity of the Port of Savannah, Georgia, USA. The planned expansion will double the port’s annual capacity from 5.5 million TEUs to 11 million TEUs and the facility will be able to handle 2.5 million TEUs of cargo annually The new container port occupy a 200-acre area directly opposite Ocean Terminal in Savannah.GPA executive director Griff Lynch commented: “The market has clearly chosen the Port of Savannah as the south-eastern hub for containerized trade.

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.

The Port of Savannah set a record for intermodal cargo last month, handling 47,255 rail lifts, an increase of 10.5% over July of last year.According to Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), over the past three years, the Port of Savannah has grown its rail volume by 35.4 percent, completing more than 507,000 intermodal lifts in the fiscal year that ended in June.“We’re moving containers from ship to outgoing rail in less than 24 hours at the Port of Savannah,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “That world-class service is why we’re capturing more business to inland destinations, and converting more cargo from truck to rail.”The Port of Savannah handled 47…

Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced that the Port of Savannah moved a record 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in the fiscal year that ended June 30, an increase of more than 305,000 TEUs, or 7.3 percent.“Our ports are firing on all cylinders,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “This success is a testament to the men and women who work throughout our entire supply chain and make a difference for Georgia and the nation every day. Because of their commitment, our factories, farms and logistics providers are creating opportunity and prosperity in every corner of our state.”For the first time ever, GPA handled more than half a million container lifts to rail, growing that number by more than 72,000, or 16.6 percent.

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…

The Port of Savannah will soon be able to unload six 14,000 TEU vessels at the same time. The plan, which is called “Big Berth, Big Ship”, effectively doubles the port’s capacity to handle mega-boxships. Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Executive Director Griff Lynch unveiled the new program that will allow the Port of Savannah to simultaneously handle six 14,000 TEU vessels by 2024, a press release said.“No other single container terminal in North America has the ability to expand berth capacity at this rate,” said Lynch. Currently, Savannah’s Garden City Terminal is equipped to handle two of these vessels and by April of this year that number will increase to three.Port of Savannah had just last week achieved the busiest month ever in its history…

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia has announced the Telluride, its new eight-passenger SUV, will be shipped to the Port of Brunswick for global markets this month.“The launch of the Kia Telluride, our largest and most refined SUV to date, will be a monumental achievement for KMMG,” said Countess. “From the support we receive from GPA with our inbound parts from our global supply chain to supporting our export of finished vehicles to current and future markets, GPA will play an important role.”Through vertical integration – parts in via Savannah, autos out via Brunswick – Kia takes advantage of Georgia’s extensive road and rail infrastructure…

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.

The Georgia Ports Authority is on track to reach 4.36 million twenty-foot equivalent container units handled in 2018, its highest volumes ever in a calendar year. The performance would mean an increase of 8 percent (312,385 TEUs) compared to CY2017.“Cargo expansion related to growth in inland markets, as well as increased demand right here in the U.S. Southeast have shifted the global logistics arena in Savannah’s favor, with more port users choosing to serve their customers via Georgia’s deepwater terminals,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch.For Calendar Year 2018 through November, the Port of Savannah has handled 4 million twenty-foot equivalent container units, up from 3.72 million over the same period last year.