Post by HardTimeTrucker on Jul 27, 2009 15:12:23 GMT -5
Georgia Ports Expand as Volume Falls
Thomas L. Gallagher
Jul 27, 2009
The Journal of Commerce
New services, strategic expansions strengthen position
During the fiscal year ended June 30, Georgia Ports Authority saw a 10.5 percent decrease in total containers and a 12.4 percent decline in total tonnage.
But in the last six months, 11 new or reconfigured services began calling on the Port of Savannah, which has made strategic expansions to maintain its position as America’s fourth highest volume container port.
The ports, including Bainbridge, Brunswick, Columbus and Savannah, handled approximately 2.4 million 20-foot equivalent units in the fiscal year, GPA announced Monday.
“We continued to make gains with our international carriers despite the global economic crisis,” said Doug J. Marchand, GPA’s executive director. “The performance of Georgia’s ports relative to other ports is the result of a series of strategic expansions and new investments,” said Marchand.
In FY09, GPA purchased four additional super post-Panamax cranes and 15 rubber tired gantry cranes. GPA also completed its second intermodal container transfer facility at the Port of Savannah and upgraded two container berths and three container yards to create additional capacity. Adding 480 refrigerated container positions on terminal eliminated all diesel-powered generators serving the cold storage sector. An additional 12,000 ton grain tank on Colonel’s Island in Brunswick, Ga., stores bulk commodities. Other Colonel’s Island south side infrastructure projects, including water, rail and lights, created additional auto and grain processing capacity.
Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.
Thomas L. Gallagher
Jul 27, 2009
The Journal of Commerce
New services, strategic expansions strengthen position
During the fiscal year ended June 30, Georgia Ports Authority saw a 10.5 percent decrease in total containers and a 12.4 percent decline in total tonnage.
But in the last six months, 11 new or reconfigured services began calling on the Port of Savannah, which has made strategic expansions to maintain its position as America’s fourth highest volume container port.
The ports, including Bainbridge, Brunswick, Columbus and Savannah, handled approximately 2.4 million 20-foot equivalent units in the fiscal year, GPA announced Monday.
“We continued to make gains with our international carriers despite the global economic crisis,” said Doug J. Marchand, GPA’s executive director. “The performance of Georgia’s ports relative to other ports is the result of a series of strategic expansions and new investments,” said Marchand.
In FY09, GPA purchased four additional super post-Panamax cranes and 15 rubber tired gantry cranes. GPA also completed its second intermodal container transfer facility at the Port of Savannah and upgraded two container berths and three container yards to create additional capacity. Adding 480 refrigerated container positions on terminal eliminated all diesel-powered generators serving the cold storage sector. An additional 12,000 ton grain tank on Colonel’s Island in Brunswick, Ga., stores bulk commodities. Other Colonel’s Island south side infrastructure projects, including water, rail and lights, created additional auto and grain processing capacity.
Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.