The Port of Savannah will be able to handle six 14,000-TEU vessels simultaneously.
Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch on Tuesday unveiled its big berth/big ship program that will allow the Port of Savannah to simultaneously handle six 14,000-TEU vessels by 2024.
“No other single container terminal in North America has the ability to expand berth capacity at this rate,” Lynch said during the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference.
Currently, Savannah’s Garden City Terminal is equipped to handle two of these vessels and by April of this year that number will increase to three.
During his presentation, titled “2019: The Triple Crown?” Lynch told an audience of 350 logistics professionals that the Port of Savannah had just last week achieved the busiest month ever in its history, moving 433,975 TEUs, a 28 percent jump over the previous year.
Jimmy Allgood, GPA board chairman, said, “A strong global economy coupled with a growing awareness of Savannah’s logistical advantages are driving sustained growth at our deepwater container terminal.
“GPA’s big berth/big ship program will ensure Georgia stays ahead of demand and ahead of the competition,” Allgood said.
Over the next five years, the GPA plans to add another 21 Neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, replacing 14 of its older models to bring the total fleet to 37. Dock upgrades already are under way to support the new, larger machines.
In addition to the ship-to-shore cranes GPA is adding, a dozen new rubber-tired gantry cranes will bring the number of Garden City Terminal’s container-handling cranes to 158. Ten RTGs will be commissioned in July and another two in September.
Phase I of the Mason mega rail project will be complete in October. Full completion a year later will double the Port of Savannah’s rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year. In late 2021, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is slated for completion, delivering the deeper water necessary to better accommodate the larger vessels now calling on the U.S. East Coast.
“These advancements are necessary to handle tremendous customer demand at our terminals,” Lynch said.
Chris Schwinden, vice president of Site Selection Group, said, “The most competitive states and communities are making strategic, proactive investments in transportation infrastructure to ensure they can stay ahead of ever-accelerating corporate and consumer demand.”
“No other single container terminal in North America has the ability to expand berth capacity at this rate,” Lynch said during the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference.
Currently, Savannah’s Garden City Terminal is equipped to handle two of these vessels and by April of this year that number will increase to three.
During his presentation, titled “2019: The Triple Crown?” Lynch told an audience of 350 logistics professionals that the Port of Savannah had just last week achieved the busiest month ever in its history, moving 433,975 TEUs, a 28 percent jump over the previous year.
Jimmy Allgood, GPA board chairman, said, “A strong global economy coupled with a growing awareness of Savannah’s logistical advantages are driving sustained growth at our deepwater container terminal.
“GPA’s big berth/big ship program will ensure Georgia stays ahead of demand and ahead of the competition,” Allgood said.
Over the next five years, the GPA plans to add another 21 Neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, replacing 14 of its older models to bring the total fleet to 37. Dock upgrades already are under way to support the new, larger machines.
In addition to the ship-to-shore cranes GPA is adding, a dozen new rubber-tired gantry cranes will bring the number of Garden City Terminal’s container-handling cranes to 158. Ten RTGs will be commissioned in July and another two in September.
Phase I of the Mason mega rail project will be complete in October. Full completion a year later will double the Port of Savannah’s rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year. In late 2021, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is slated for completion, delivering the deeper water necessary to better accommodate the larger vessels now calling on the U.S. East Coast.
“These advancements are necessary to handle tremendous customer demand at our terminals,” Lynch said.
Chris Schwinden, vice president of Site Selection Group, said, “The most competitive states and communities are making strategic, proactive investments in transportation infrastructure to ensure they can stay ahead of ever-accelerating corporate and consumer demand.”
