GPA to Double Capacity, Draws $5Bln Investment

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has revealed plans to double capacity at Garden City Terminal to 11 million twenty-foot equivalent container units per year.

In Fiscal Year 2019, port-related industries announced $5 billion in new investment and 12,000 new jobs coming to Georgia.

Port-related announcements of expansions and new business accounted for nearly $5 billion in investment and 12,000 jobs across the state of Georgia in Fiscal Year 2019, a year in which the Port of Savannah moved a record 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units.

“The manufacturing and logistics sectors are key components of our economy, and I am excited for the opportunities created for hardworking Georgians,” said Gov. Brian Kemp. "Georgia provides the workforce, infrastructure and collaborative business environment that industry leaders need to thrive, and we look forward to supporting their long-term success in the Peach State."

In 2020, Garden City Terminal will receive six additional ship-to-shore cranes, bringing its fleet to 36, more than any other terminal in North America. Lynch said GPA plans continual upgrades to its crane fleet, which will include 12 new cranes with a lift height of 170 feet by 2027.

Within three years, the GPA plans a berth realignment to allow docking for more 14,000-TEU vessels on the downriver end of Garden City Terminal. By 2027, the additional cranes, revamped dock space and a new Hutchinson Island terminal will allow the Port of Savannah to significantly increase big ship capacity.

Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now in the final phase of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. The Corps is expected to issue contracts this year to dredge the inner harbor, which makes up the final half of the deepening.

In the fiscal year that ended in June, the Georgia Ports Authority achieved record volumes in containers, total tonnage and cargo moved by rail. At 4.5 million TEUs, the Port of Savannah grew its containerized trade by 7.3 percent, or 305,000 TEUs.