Georgia Ports Authority O.K.s contracts to lift Savannah’s capacity

Georgia Ports Authority O.K.s contracts to lift Savannah’s capacity    The Georgia Ports Authority’s board of directors Monday approved four construction and equipment contracts worth a combined $6.8 million, designed to increase the Port of Savannah’s container handling capacity.
   The approved contracts were:
   * $3.7 million to demolish a warehouse and install seven acres of heavy-duty asphalt pavement and related infrastructure.
   * $1.5 million to purchase 15 spreader bars for recently purchased rubber-tired gantry cranes.
   * $700,000 to purchase four spreader bars for ship-to-shore container cranes.
   * $900,000 to complete the acquisition and assembly of four ship-to-shore cranes.
   “The Georgia Ports Authority is growing faster than any other port authority if its kind in the nation,” said Mack Mattingly, chairman of GPA’s board of directors, in a statement. “The contracts approved will allow Georgia’s ports to continue to stay one step ahead of the growth curve.”
   The GPA oversees the ports of Savannah and Brunswick as well as the inland barge operations in Bainbridge and Columbus. In August, the port of Savannah handled a record 181,417 TEUs, up 8.7 percent compared to the same month last year.