2 >> 1 and speeding


Issue 1 2020 - FBJNA


c o n tain er s moved each


year. “Our ship-to-shore cranes


have grown progressively larger to work vessels that have gone from less than 1,400- to 14,000-TEU capacity,” Mr. Lynch reports. Truck gates have


expanded in number, with pre-registration technologies


gate the


flow of interchanges. Rail capacity has increased


with first one, then two on- terminal rail facilities served by Class I


railroads Norfolk


Southern and CSX. The GPA is now in the midst of a major rail expansion, which will link the two rail yards for a total of 34 miles of track on Garden City Terminal. “This Mason Mega Rail


project will allow Savannah to better accommodate 10,000- foot unit trains, allowing faster, more effective service into Chicago and across the U.S. Midwest,” he says.


GPA’s Future


GPA’s expansion plans include improvements to Garden City Terminal, which will bring capacity in its current footprint from 5.5 million to 8.5 million TEUs per year. “The Authority also plans to add another container


terminal on Hutchinson Island in the Savannah River, which will add 2.5 million TEUs of annual throughput capability,” Mr. Lynch emphasizes. “Within the next 10 years, these projects will double Savannah’s current annual capacity to 11 million TEUs per year.” At present, GPA has established one port


for intermodal rail


inland in


Northwest Georgia, but the Authority plans to build rail


hubs in strategic locations across Georgia to provide retailers and manufacturers more efficient


links to the


deep-water Port of Savannah. As the most westerly major


container port on the U.S. East Coast, the Port of Savannah will take maximum advantage of its 36 weekly vessel calls and growing rail service to the Midwest. “This stronger rail link will


not only bring more business to Georgia, but also provide


Midwestern customers a new alternative at a port that does not suffer from the congestion and cargo uncertainty present at other major ports,” he says.


Steamship Line Impact


Mr. Lynch points out that the consolidation of shipping line


consortiums moving


cargo on larger vessels has been a net positive for the Port of Savannah, as it plays to the strength of Garden City


Terminal. At 1,200 acres, Garden City


is the largest single-operator terminal in North America, with a superior ability to handle the influx of cargo delivered and taken on by Super Post-Panamax vessels. He emphasizes that since


the Panama Canal opened its new, wider locks in June 2016, container trade at the Port of Savannah has grown by 25%, from 3.6 million to 4.5 million TEUs per year. This is tremendous news for the port. “This is, thanks in part, to


the 14,000-TEU vessels that are now bringing more cargo to the U.S. East Coast via the Panama Canal,” he says. In December, GPA


Garden City Terminal yard. (GPA photo)


///GPA


announced in a press release that it was on track to exceed 4.6 million TEUs for the first time in a calendar year and that that level of trade would be a 14% increase over volumes moved through Savannah just three years ago. Over the same period, the Authority has increased the annual capacity at the Port of Savannah from 5 million to 5.5 million TEUs.


State and Local Cooperation


Key to GPA’s success is a concerted effort to bring commerce and business to the State of Georgia. “The Georgia Ports


Authority cooperates daily with state and local economic development authorities in their work to win manufacturing and logistics projects for our state,” says Mr. Lynch. Among the


economic


development authorities with which it partners are the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA), the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), and the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA). The International Trade


division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) provides Georgia exporters with global insight and connections to grow their international business opportunities. L e v er a gin g


3 >> GPA’s Port of Savannah. (GPA photo.)


Whatever your cargo needs are, SSA Atlantic has you covered.


From heavy lifts, containers, bulk and breakbulk cargo, you can rely on us.


The total cargo solution. Billy.singleton@ssamarine.com Gary.morelli@ssamarine.com


Derrick.miles@ssamarine.com 912/652.0599


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