Moffatt and Nichols hired to manage Ga.-S.C. port project

Moffatt and Nichols hired to manage Ga.-S.C. port project Jasper Ocean Terminal, the new container shipping port that Georgia and South Carolina are planning to jointly build on their border, has hired Moffatt and Nichol as a program manager.
   The engineering company was selected to develop feasibility studies, quantify capital needs and perform overall management by the board of directors of the joint project office for the two states.
   Last January, the Georgia Ports Authority and the South Carolina State Port Authority signed an agreement for development of the terminal, and in July the two authorities completed the joint acquisition of 1,518 acres of land from the Georgia Department of Transportation for the development of the terminal along the Savannah River in Jasper County, S.C. Georgia’s DOT had acquired the land for dredge spoil disposal.
   “We are excited about moving forward on a project that will help build the long-term viability of international trade in our region, create jobs and promote new economic opportunities,” said James S. Balloun, board chairman.
   “The first step for the program manager will be to focus on feasibility studies to support the release and relocation of the existing Corps of Engineers,” easements currently located on the parcels of the Jasper Ocean Terminal study site,” said Bill Bethea, the board's vice chairman. “We will also continue the studies to establish the feasibility and cost of building a container terminal in Jasper County and begin preliminary planning for the Terminal Site itself.”
   The port office said it would work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release existing spoil easements from the Jasper Terminal study site.
   It also noted that it would concentrate on ways to use private capital in the construction of Jasper Ocean Terminal.