{"id":2533,"date":"2022-02-28T06:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T11:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awlcorp.com\/?p=2533"},"modified":"2022-02-28T06:32:00","modified_gmt":"2022-02-28T11:32:00","slug":"port-of-savannah-to-grow-capacity-by-60-percent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awlcorp.com\/?p=2533","title":{"rendered":"Port of Savannah to grow capacity by 60 percent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, delivers his 2022 State of the Port address, Thursday Feb. 24, 2022, at the Savannah Convention Center. Lynch updated a capacity crowd on infrastructure projects that will ensure the smooth flow of cargo. Find print-quality images here. (Georgia Ports\/Stephen B. Morton)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yard, dock, river improvements support expanding trade\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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SAVANNAH, Ga., Feb. 24, 2022 \u2013 At today\u2019s Savannah State of the Port, Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority\u2019s (GPA) executive director, unveiled plans to expand the port\u2019s container capacity by 60 percent. The enhancements will bring the Port of Savannah\u2019s annual capacity from 6 million twenty-foot equivalent container units to 9.5 million TEUs by 2025.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur expansion is being matched by incredible growth in both warehouse space and workforce,\u201d Lynch said. \u201cThe public and private investment that we\u2019re seeing, as well as the number of people being drawn to the business, make Savannah the hottest market in the country for transportation and logistics.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Projects now under way will add 1.7 million TEUs of annual capacity in four months. GPA\u2019s Peak Capacity project has already added 400,000 TEUs in container handling space to the Garden City Terminal and will make room for another 820,000 TEUs by June. In the same month, a new container yard just upriver will add another 500,000 TEUs of capacity. Separately, the Garden City Terminal West project will add up to 1 million TEUs in phases by 2024.<\/div>\n
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\u201cGPA\u2019s role facilitating commerce \u2013 even in difficult times \u2013 is key to Georgia\u2019s long-term economic success, and I am proud of the can-do spirit that sets our ports apart from the rest of the nation,\u201d said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. \u201cThe Ports of Savannah and Brunswick together play a major role in positioning Georgia as the go-to state for economic development, and I am thankful for all the hardworking men and women who have hunkered down to move Georgia forward over the past year.\u201d<\/div>\n
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During Lynch\u2019s presentation, he showed how Savannah has become a national leader in supply chain solutions and effectively eliminated its backlog, while accommodating 18 consecutive months of growth. In Calendar Year 2021 alone, the GPA moved a record 5.6 million TEUs, for an unprecedented expansion of nearly a million TEUs, or 20 percent, compared to 2020.<\/div>\n
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In his comments before a capacity crowd, Lynch addressed a series of key logistics solutions, including the role six pop-up container yards \u2013 which add 500,000 TEUs of annual container space \u2013 are playing as a supply chain relief valve. He also spoke to the nation\u2019s trucker shortage, and how Savannah has reversed that trend by registering 80 new drivers a week to serve Garden City Terminal, or a total of 1,200 new drivers and 370 new trucking companies just since November. Lynch also detailed GPA\u2019s workforce development effort, the YES+ program. Now, in addition to hiring new high school graduates to work in maintenance and container operations, GPA has broadened the program to include career opportunities for young workers in other departments.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHigher demand for our services is the reason we have expedited major expansions at the Port of Savannah,\u201d said GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten. \u201cGeorgia\u2019s growing manufacturing, distribution and retail sectors will mean additional cargo through the Port of Savannah, driving the need for increased container handling capacity.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The Savannah market added 6.5 million square feet of industrial space in 2021, for a total of 84 million, according to Colliers International. Savannah led the nation in terms of net absorption of overall inventory, so the vacancy rate remains at 2.3 percent. Another 17 million square feet are now under construction, lifting the market beyond 100 million square feet to better accommodate heightened cargo volumes.<\/div>\n
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Lynch thanked the 1,200 guests for coming to the first live State of the Port since 2019, and congratulated them on persevering through the previous, challenging year. The unprecedented level of trade crossing GPA\u2019s docks is expected to continue well into 2022, Lynch said.<\/div>\n
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To ensure Savannah\u2019s ability to handle these volumes, GPA is super-sizing its Berth 1, increasing on-dock capacity by 25 percent. In the spring of 2023, the expanded berth will allow Savannah to simultaneously serve four 16,000-TEU vessels as well as three additional ships. The renovations will add an estimated 1.5 million TEUs per year of berth capacity.<\/div>\n
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Another game changer for the GPA is the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, which will come online in March. The deeper river channel will allow 16,000+ TEU vessels to take on heavier loads and transit the river with greater scheduling flexibility.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis project has been more than 20 years in the making,\u201d Lynch said. \u201cThrough it all, there has been strong support across several administrations, from the General Assembly and our congressional delegation. A special debt of gratitude goes to the late Senator Johnny Isakson, who shepherded our harbor deepening efforts through the federal process.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Georgia\u2019s deepwater 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\u2019s 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.<\/div>\n
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For more information, visit\u00a0gaports.com<\/a>, or contact GPA Chief Communications Officer Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or\u00a0rmorris@gaports.com<\/a><\/div>\n
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