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SAVANNAH, Ga., May 8, 2019 \u2013 The Port of Savannah welcomed its first Seaboard Marine vessel Wednesday. The new shipping line customer supports Savannah\u2019s cold chain logistics system with one new service to Central America, and a second to Latin America and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to serving Georgia\u2019s poultry growers, Seaboard is tapping into an expanding market for fresh produce imports via Garden City Terminal,\u201d said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. \u201cThis is further proof that customers and carriers are discovering Savannah\u2019s competitive advantages for chilled cargo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ocean carrier\u2019s first service to Savannah links the Southeastern U.S. to northern Central America, with Georgia exports centered on frozen poultry and imports composed largely of perishables and apparel produced in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras.<\/p>\n
\u201cProduce reaches consumers faster, fresher and cheaper through the Port of Savannah,\u201d said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. \u201cThat\u2019s good news for the folks who live in the Southeast, and perfectly complements Georgia\u2019s frozen poultry export market, increasing efficiency for our shipping line partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
The initial Seaboard Marine service to Savannah features two vessels in a direct, all-water route, for an increase of 20,000 TEUs per year to Garden City Terminal\u2019s total vessel inventory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new North Central American service and the addition of Port of Savannah is an ideal gateway,\u201d said Jose Concepcion, Seaboard Marine vice president for Central America. \u201cWe are excited about the opportunity to connect our brand of premium service forged over our 35-year history in Central America to this new domestic port.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting in June, Seaboard Marine will also offer a second weekly service for both northbound and southbound cargoes between Savannah and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru), South Central America (Costa Rica and Panama), and the Caribbean (Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Suriname and Trinidad). For this service, frozen poultry exports will also form the basis of the southbound trade, with chilled produce imports northbound.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are pleased to offer shippers fast and reliable service between Savannah and Latin America,\u201d said Piero Buitano, Seaboard Marine vice president for South America. \u201cAdding Savannah to the company\u2019s service network not only enhances our ability to support customers with new and convenient transportation opportunities to key countries in South America, but also introduces our extraordinary level of customer service to a broader customer base.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new services will bring Savannah\u2019s weekly vessel calls to 37. This is equal to New York-New Jersey, for the most services on the U.S. East Coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith increased exposure to these markets, the Port of Savannah is poised to become the gateway to South and Central America, providing new opportunities for trade to importers and exporters alike,\u201d Lynch said.<\/p>\n
Routing perishable goods through Savannah to serve the U.S. Southeast means produce reaches stores five to seven days sooner, for improved shelf life and product quality. Georgia\u2019s central location means shorter overland routes to inland markets, allowing time-sensitive cargo to reach stores in less time, and at lower cost.<\/p>\n
Savannah already has a strong, established outbound refrigerated market. Handling 40 percent of all frozen poultry exported out of the U.S., Garden City Terminal is the nation\u2019s busiest export terminal for frozen poultry. On-terminal offices for U.S. Customs & Border Protection and the Department of Agriculture speed the inspection process for chilled cargo. Major Savannah-area cold storage facilities include:<\/p>\n
Frozen
\nGulf States Cold Storage: 155,000 square feet
\nLineage Logistics: 422,300 square feet (at two facilities, Savannah and Rincon)
\nAGRO Merchants: 400,000 square feet<\/p>\n
Chilled
\nPortfresh Logistics (now owned by Americold): 100,000 square feet
\nChilled and frozen warehouse space in Savannah currently totals just over 1 million square feet. Two major private expansions now in the works will add 285,000 square-feet for frozen cargo, and another 310,000 square-feet of chilled storage.<\/p>\n
On terminal, the GPA has added 15 additional refrigerated container racks, for an increase of 360 container slots. Eight of the new racks came on line in December, while another seven became operational in April.<\/p>\n
The Port of Savannah\u2019s Garden City Terminal now features 119 electric-powered refrigerated container racks. This brings Savannah\u2019s refrigerated container capacity to 3,341 boxes at a time, counting 485 plug-ins for chilled containers on chassis.<\/p>\n
Find print-quality images of port operations here. Georgia\u2019s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia\u2019s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.<\/p>\n