You never really know what can happen with a hurricane but the latest tracking has Hurricane Ian staying well east of the Georgia coast. Ian’s impact is likely to be limited to strong tides and a rain event but hurricane force winds are unlikely, though tropical storm level wind is threatening Savannah.
For the biggest business on the Georgia coast, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), any threat of hurricane is a big deal. As of the last update on Thursday at 4 p.m., the Port of Brunswick – mostly unaffected by Ian, will have normal operations on Friday. The Port of Savannah will largely operate as normal as well but some gates will be closed and vessels were cleared in both Savannah and Brunswick on Wednesday night, delayed until Saturday.
Considering the volume of operations at the GPA, two to three days of disruption can be overcome easily but is a major impact. In August, there were more than 53,000 units unloaded at the Port of Brunswick. That means an additional 2,000 or more extra units will have to be unloaded once normal operations resume. A delay of a day or two should not really impact supply chains in Georgia, but supply chains running through Florida are certainly impacted.
In other port news this week, the GPA announced that Nissan has chosen the Port of Brunswick as its newest point of entry for U.S. markets. Nissan now joins more than 20 other auto manufacturers who used the Port of Brunswick facility. The terminal at the Port of Brunswick spans 1,700 acres and provides easy, immediate access to I-95 and on to I-10 and I-16.
“We are pleased that Nissan has chosen the Peach State as its gateway to the Southeast,” said Griff Lynch, executive director of the GPA. “Brunswick’s central location and superior connectivity, combined with the ease of doing business in Georgia, make it the perfect home for Nissan to serve the fastest growing region in the U.S.”
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions (WWS) is the auto processer for both Nissan and Infiniti and is expanding its own footprint in Brunswick, building three new buildings for operations. The GPA is also adding an additional 85 acres for storage.
“With WWS expanding its presence to make Brunswick a hub port for its auto processing, combined with new customers such as Nissan coming onboard, Colonel’s Island Terminal is poised to become the nation’s premier gateway for vehicles and heavy machinery,” said GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten. “With the enormous asset of space, our facility provides ample room to take on new business with on-site auto processing for services such as accessory installation.”
