Brunswick sees growth in ro/ro, biofuel cargo

   The Georgia Ports Authority said investment of $14.7 million at the Port of Brunswick’s Colonel’s Island terminal has helped increase roll-on/roll-off and bulk cargo volumes.
   At his 2012 Brunswick State of the Port address, GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz said in the fiscal year that ended June 30 Brunswick handled 553,543 units, 46 percent more than the 375,000 handled in fiscal year 2008. Over the same period, Colonel’s Island more than doubled its national market share from 4 percent to 10 percent.
   In fiscal year 2012, Colonel’s Island Terminal imported 765,902 tons of ro/ro cargo, making it the second busiest port in the nation for auto and machinery imports. Brunswick handles cargo for 21 domestic and foreign auto manufacturers. Eight ocean carriers made a total of 543 vessel calls on Brunswick in fiscal year 2012.
   The GPA board in March approved $3.7 million in structural upgrades at Colonel’s Island for roads, bridges, staging areas, rail loading/offloading areas, and fender upgrades.

Foltz

   Foltz said machinery exports are also set to expand with the constuction of a Caterpillar manufacturing facility near Athens, Ga. The factory will build small track-type tractors and mini hydraulic excavators.
   Foltz said proximity to the state’s ports factored into Caterpillar’s decision to bring those jobs to Georgia.
   At Brunswick’s East River Terminal, $11 million in improvements support the export of bulk products such as peanut hull pellets, and wood pellets and chips. The GPA and terminal operator Logistec shared the cost of the upgrades, including new conveyance and fender systems and dock renovations, as well as deepening existing berths. East River Terminal experienced a year-over-year tonnage increase of 14.1 percent to reach 663,446 tons, with growth led by biomass fuels.
   The East River Terminal experienced strong growth in the export of alternative fuels, largely to Northern Europe, where biomass fuels are used to replace part of that region’s coal consumption for energy production.
   “At present, Brunswick has a wood pellet capacity of 1 million tons per year, but our capacity will increase to 3 million tons after the completion of an upcoming second phase of improvements,” Foltz said. – Chris Dupin