Port of Savannah container berth project moves forward

Port of Savannah container berth project moves forward    The Georgia Ports Authority's board of directors Monday approved three contracts totaling $36 million that allows the Port of Savannah to move forward with its Container Berth 87 project.
   The project will expand capacity at the Port of Savannah by more than 20 percent and extend the port's berthing to 9,800 linear feet, said Doug J. Marchand, executive director of the ports authority.
   The three contracts cover demolition of an abandoned dock structure, dredging, construction of a 1,672-foot long pile supported concrete dock, and the addition of two 65-long-ton ship-to-shore container cranes and two spreader bars.
   Through the first four months of the ports authority's fiscal year 2004, the Port of Savannah has moved 534,134 TEUs, an 8.5 percent increase of July-October 2002. In October alone, the port handled 143,198 TEUs, the second-highest one-month posting in the port's history.
   The port authority has handled 5.3 million tons of cargo through its Savannah and Brunswick terminals in the July-October period. Bulk tonnage improved 10.3 percent to 838,605 tons. Autos and machinery units were up 1.3 percent to 110,127 units, while breakbulk was off 0.4 percent to 796,829 tons.