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First of four new cranes starts work at Port of Savannah
Crane fleet climbing to 30 by 2018
NewCranes1
The Port of Savannah has commissioned the first of four new ship-to-shore cranes at the Garden City Terminal. Each new crane can lift up to 65 long tons, equivalent to 48 Volskwagen Beetles. - photo by (Georgia Ports Authority/Emily Goldman)
Bryan County News
Updated: Mar 23, 2017, 1:15 PM
Published: Mar 23, 2017, 1:18 PM

The Georgia Ports Authority has commissioned the first of four new Neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes at the Garden City Terminal, bringing its fleet to 23 – more cranes than any other U.S. terminal – with three machines yet to come online.

"Expanding our capabilities means we are able to grow along with our customers, and adjust to changes in the logistics marketplace, such as increasing vessel sizes," said GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy.

Designed by Konecranes of Finland, these enormous cranes can work the largest ships calling on the U.S. East Coast.

Garden City Terminal will add another crane every two weeks until late April, bringing the total number to 26 this year: 20 Neo-Panamax cranes and six Post-Panamax cranes. Port officials said another four Neo-Panamax cranes are on order and will be commissioned in 2018.

The growing crane fleet, working over nearly 10,000 contiguous feet of dock, will be able to handle more than 1,000 container moves per hour when all 30 cranes are in place.

"The improvements we're making to our terminal infrastructure demonstrate the GPA's commitment to expand capacity, providing more opportunities for growth and greater flexibility to meet customer needs," McCarthy said.

On Monday, Executive Director Griff Lynch reported to the GPA Board 14.4 percent growth in containerized trade for February.

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Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port
GardenCityTerminal
The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided
Bryan County News
Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM
Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.  

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

 Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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