Not even a year after completing the massive project of deepening the Savannah Harbor, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has announced an additional $1 billion worth of renovations and expansions to the fast-growing Port of Savannah. The expansions will renovate and realign docks to help facilitate expanding container operations.
“For nearly 40 years, Ocean Terminal has been handling a mix of container ships and breakbulk vessels. The realignment is part of a broader effort to transform the terminal into an all-container operation, shifting most breakbulk cargo to the Port of Brunswick,” said Griff Lynch, GPA executive director. “Completion of this project will improve our flexibility and allow Georgia Ports to optimize cargo movement, supporting our customers in delivering goods to market efficiently.”
As the project gets underway, some cargo will be shifted to the relatively nearby Port of Brunswick, where 360,000 square feet of additional warehousing is currently under construction and which will help to hold the overflow from Savannah, as well as the increasing cargo coming into Brunswick. That port is already the second busiest in the country for Roll-on/Roll-off cargo or Ro-Ro), such as cars, trucks or motorcycles.
The new facility at Savannah’s Ocean Terminal will be capable of handling two large ships at the same time, will ship-to-shore cranes in operation. Ocean Terminal is already 200 acres so the reconfiguring will help to make the best use of its space, ultimately allowing for 1.5 million container units of annual capacity (a container unit being roughly equivalent to one tractor-trailer).
The entire process is expected to be completed by 2026 and the announcement comes as the Port of Savannah is celebrating another “busiest month ever,” handling more than a half million container units in October. Volume is likely to decline somewhat – or at least level off – as inventories recover from historic lows during the supply chain disaster created by the Covid pandemic. However, years of labor trouble at west coast ports have seen some shipping companies shift more to the east coast and this may not shift back, and may only drift further, resulting in a steady growth of business for the GPA. Currently, Georgia’s ports support some 560,000 jobs, contributing $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue and $3.8 billion in state and local taxes for Georgia communities.
“While we are beginning to see an anticipated market correction, it is important that GPA move forward with projects like the Ocean Terminal enhancements to accommodate business growth,” said GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten. “Through continued infrastructure improvement, we will ensure the free flow of commerce, and our ability to meet expanding customer demand.”
