Photo courtesy of Georgia Ports
The Georgia Ports Authority approved three project components, including earth compacting to prepare the site to hold container stacks, removal of a former bridge pier and preliminary utility installation behind the wharf structure.
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced March 26 that it had approved contracts totaling $65.6 million for container yard work at the Port of Savannah's Ocean Terminal, a 200-acre facility just downriver from GPA's main container port.
"We're very pleased with the progress on improving Ocean Terminal's container handling capability," said GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch. "We're on track to see greater container capacity by late 2027."
Earlier in March, the port authority board approved three project components, including earth compacting to prepare the site to hold container stacks, removal of a former bridge pier and preliminary utility installation behind the wharf structure.
The work will be funded through revenue bonds issued by GPA in 2022.
Previously approved upgrades at Ocean Terminal included the purchase of eight ship-to-shore cranes, refurbishing the wharf structure, and construction of an overpass for direct access to U.S. Highway 17. When all work is complete, the terminal's annual capacity will grow from 300,000 20-ft. equivalent container units (TEUs) to more than 1.5 million TEUs.
"At Georgia Ports, we never stop investing in the future," noted Kent Fountain, GPA's board chair. "As new and existing port users grow their trade through our terminals, we're ready to take on additional cargo, providing the world-class service that our customers have come to expect."
Lynch reported to the board that GPA anticipates a third straight month of growth in March.
"I'd like to thank our local partners in the International Longshoremen's Association and Gateway Terminals, along with our GPA employees for their work moving cargo across our docks with efficient, reliable service," he said. "With a positive showing in the calendar year to date, Savannah is building momentum toward a stronger second half of Fiscal Year 2024."
Money Flowing Into Savannah, Brunswick Harbor Projects
Lynch also noted that the ports of Brunswick and Savannah will receive a total of $82.7 million in federal funding for maintenance dredging and harbor improvements in a six-bill budget package passed by Congress on March 8.
Nearly $38 million will go to the Port of Brunswick, with $11.35 million earmarked for the planned Brunswick Harbor Improvements project and another $26.6 million to dredge the federal waterway to its full authorized depth.
Earlier dredging this year brought that portion of the Brunswick channel to the authorized 36 ft. However, funds allotted in 2023 were insufficient to bring the outer harbor from approximately 37 ft. to its full authorized depth of 38 ft.
The new monies will cover the cost of dredging in Brunswick's inner harbor starting late this fall, along with the outer harbor work, set to begin in December. Both jobs will take several months to complete, according to GPA.
In February, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law the state's midyear budget adjustment, in which the General Assembly allocated just over $6 million for the Brunswick Harbor upgrades to complement the federal funding.
A recommended harbor improvement plan by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) includes an expanded area for vessels to pass each other at St. Simons Sound, a bend widener, and an expansion of the turning basin where ships are steered bow-downriver before docking at Colonel's Island.
These improvements will be made over a span of a year after the USACE awards a contract for the work, expected sometime in 2024.
The budget measures also devote $44.7 million to maintenance dredging conducted year-round in the Savannah Harbor.
GPA Doubling Size of U.S. Customs Facility
The GPA also said that construction has started on a new and larger U.S. Customs inspection facility at the Port of Savannah, more than doubling the size of its current location.
The $44.5 million project will transition U.S. Customs operations from its current 130,000 sq.-ft. location at the Garden City Terminal to an adjacent 300,000 sq.-ft. building. The new facility will accommodate federal inspections by Customs and other federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Additionally, Warehouse 83B will undergo a complete renovation and modernization to provide office space and to support the inspection of dry and refrigerated containers. That project should be finished by January 2025.
Docks to Be Replaced at Brunswick's East River Terminal
Another federal grant totaling $15 million has been awarded to GPA to help pay for the replacement of Berths 2 and 3 at East River Terminal at the Port of Brunswick. The purpose of the project is to improve safety and capacity for exporting wood pellets and peanut pellets, both of which are used as renewable energy sources.
In addition to the federal money, Georgia Ports will provide another $15 million to cover the expected cost.
While conducting the initial design phase, GPA will execute a grant agreement with the federal Maritime Administration and start work on an environmental study required under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The current dock infrastructure is more than 50 years old.
Once the construction is complete, Logistec, the operator of the Brunswick terminal, will be able to work multiple vessels simultaneously at the two berths, thus improving the speed and efficiency of vessel service.
Construction is anticipated to start in late 2025.
Last year, East River Terminal handled more than 1 million tons of bulk products, including export commodities such as wood pellets, peanut pellets, and animal feed, along with imports of salt, perlite and other commodities.
Georgia's ports and inland terminals support more than 561,000 jobs throughout the state annually, contributing $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue, and $3.8 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia's economy.
GPA anticipates investing $4.2 billion in the next 10 years as part of its comprehensive plan to expand cargo handling capabilities to support future supply chain requirements.
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