GPA’s Lynch and McKnight Outline Plan For 15,000 +TEU Ships

In the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2021 (July-September), the Port of Savannah handled 1.2 million twenty-foot equivalent container units, an increase of 1.6% or 19,663 TEUs. The port set a monthly record in September, growing TEUs by 11.4%, or 42,140, for a total of 412,148 TEUs in September.

In its first-ever virtual State of the Port Address, Executive Director Griff Lynch and Will McKnight, chairman of the GPA Board took the Georgia Ports Authority’s online audience for a long-term view of the Georgia ports expansion plans.

Lynch also highlighted nearly 9 million sq./ft. of industrial construction now under way in Savannah’s private market.

Lynch said, “We appreciate the decisions of cargo owners to place their trust in Georgia. As our economy recovers, customers continue to be attracted by Savannah’s strong fundamentals – including the people who make our ports work,” adding, “I want to thank our GPA employees, the International Longshoremen’s Association and our many partners across the logistics industry for their dedication to service.”

Will McKnight said helping to bring new business to Georgia is part of GPA’s central mission – and a main reason the Authority is stepping up its capacity. “We’re making strategic expansions to ensure cargo fluidity as Savannah’s container trade increases,” McKnight said. “Our long-term infrastructure investments ensure GPA is ready when our customers are ready to grow.”

As Lynch and McKnight were speaking, the 15,000 TEU CMA Brazil was seen being moved to its berth demonstrating the GPA’s ability to handle large container ships.

Progress on infrastructure improvements to the Port included:

• Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. Deepening the harbor to 47 feet at low tide is now 75 percent finished, with completion expected in late 2021.

• Mason Mega Rail Terminal will double the Port of Savannah’s annual rail capacity to 2 million TEUs. Nine new working tracks have been commissioned, with another nine slated for completion in 2021.

• Expanding container handling capabilities at Ocean Terminal to serve smaller ships while berth renovations are ongoing at Garden City. This project will be completed by the end of 2020.

• Straightening Berth 1 to allow Garden City Terminal to dock four 15,000+ TEU vessels and three additional vessels simultaneously. The project will take approximately two years.

• Expanding container storage onto 145 acres recently added to the now 1,345-acre Garden City Terminal.

• Rail expansion at the Port will allow 2-day deliveries to Memphis

• GPA’s improved container handling capacity soon to be delivering containers to truck and rail in 24 hours

The GPA also outlined the recent economic developments including:

• FedEx is taking 415,000 square feet in a brand new, 1.2 million square-foot facility in Bryan County being built by medical goods provider Medline. Construction is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2021.

• Hooker Furniture, HMI, will open a new 800,000 square-foot distribution facility in Liberty County’s Trade port East Business Center. The $23.5 million investment will deliver 50 new jobs.

•MSI Tile plans a 675,000 square-foot distribution center in Chatham County. MSI projects it will bring 20,000 TEUs of new business to the Port of Savannah annually, and provide 225 jobs.

• Logistics provider World Shipping is opening a 280,000 square-foot facility in Savannah in November.

• Georgia Exports Company has established a location 1.5 miles from the Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County, where it will load logs into containers for export. GEC is expected to export more than 28,000 TEUs annually.

• Huali Floors is establishing its first U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Murray County. The $27 million project will create 315 new jobs.

Georgia’s deep-water ports and inland barge terminals support more than 496,700 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $29 billion in income, $122 billion in revenue and $3.4 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 9.3 percent of total U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10.5 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2020.