Governor requests money for Savannah port deepening project

Gov. Sonny Perdue is asking state lawmakers to approve $36 million to begin a long-awaited project to deepen the river route to the Port of Savannah. The request is part of the governor's 2010 budget proposal presented to the Legislature this week.

Georgia Ports Authority spokesman Robert Morris said the funding is needed to dredge the shipping channel on the Savannah River from 42 feet to as deep as 48 feet. Morris said the Savannah port, the fourth largest in the U.S., will need a deeper channel to compete when larger container ships begin using the Panama Canal in 2014.

If approved by the Legislature, Morris said the money should be available in time to apply for federal matching funds as Congress takes up its next budget later this year.

(Associated Press)

Georgia ports traffic hit by economy

The Georgia Ports Authority is reporting a seventh consecutive month of declines in imports while exports declined for the first time in the current economic slump.

The November import-export numbers underscore the deepening recession and its impact on global shipping, a big driver of economic activity in Georgia. Total tonnage for November was down by about two-percent. A Georgia Ports spokesman, however, is stressing calendar year figures, which are up by 1.6 percent for 2008. Projections have most other major U-S ports down by an overage of seven-percent in tonnage this year.

The spokesman says, that difference between Georgia and other major ports represents an increase in market share, which will be critical for when the recession ends.

New record for Savannah port

Georgia's main port is marking a new first. The Georgia Ports Authority says the port of Savannah moved more than 1-million exported 20-foot containers in fiscal year 2008. The Savannah Morning News reports China brought in the most shipments at 175,000. Italy, Turkey, Japan, and the Republic of Korea also topped the list.

Another record year for ports

Despite a soft economy, the Port of Savannah is still posting record growth. The Georgia Ports Authority says the Savannah port moved more than 2.6 million cargo containers in fiscal year 2008. That's its largest volume ever, up nearly 15 percent from the previous year. The numbers strengthen the Savannah port's standing as the fourth largest seaport in America. Overall, Georgia ports moved 26 million tons of cargo in fiscal 2008 – up 17.5 percent from the year before.

Ports Authority approves new terminal

The Georgia Ports Authority board is moving ahead with plans to develop a new port terminal on the Savannah River to be owned jointly with South Carolina. The board voted unanimously Monday to buy 1,518 acres of land for $5,000 an acre - for a total cost of about $7.6 million. The South Carolina State Ports Authority is scheduled to consider a similar resolution Tuesday. An agreement between the two states calls for the proposed port to be governed by a board of directors with equal representation from each state.

Georgia ports on track for record year

The Georgia Ports Authority is on target to record its most successful year. State officials announced that the ports handled a total of more than 21.4 million tons of cargo for the first 10 months of fiscal year 2008. That represents an increase of over 20-percent for the period from July of last year through this April. The cargo processed includes through the terminal facilities of Bainbridge, Brunswick, Columbus and Savannah. The Port of Savannah now stands as the fourth-busiest and fastest-growing container terminal in the U.S.

GA-SC port gets approval from Palmetto State

A joint partnership deal between Georgia and South Carolina to build a port on the Savannah River is now one-third approved. The South Carolina State Ports Authority has okayed the deal on their side by unanimous vote. The deal still needs the "yes" vote from the Georgia Ports Authority--meeting next week--and Georgia's Department of Transportation. The DOT owns the land in South Carolina where the port is to be built, across the river from Savannah in Jasper County.

Georgia and South Carolina announce plans for Savannah River port

The Governors of Georgia and South Carolina today announced an agreement putting more detail into a plan to develop a new port on the Savannah River.

The 11-page agreement forms a bi-state joint project office to get the port up-and-running. The office will be responsible for the nuts and bolts of finding the port’s exact location, getting the permits to build it, and developing the business plan. Those tasks will cost about $6 million. As to how long it will take, before the first ship docks, Governor Sonny Perdue could only guess:

“Well, I think these are all projections, but from the permitting side, to the construction side, those kinds of things, we’re probably talking about four or five years plus. Again, I think both states are committed to moving very aggressively here.”

Officials said today the land to build the port would cost about $9 million. That land is owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation, but is in South Carolina. Under the agreement, the port will be owned jointly by the two states’ port authorities.

South Carolina to buy part of Jasper Co. shipping terminal

According to a proposal being negotiated by Georgia and South Carolina, the states’ ports authorities will jointly own the site of a shipping terminal at the mouth of the Savannah River. A South Carolina newspaper reports the ports authorities would purchase the land in Jasper County on the South Carolina side of the river for about $10 million dollars. The Georgia Ports Authority currently owns the land. Officials estimate it could take at least five years and more than $600 million dollars to make the first phase of the port operational.

Business booming at state's ports

Business is brisk at the state's four ports, as record-setting numbers reflect their growing contribution to the state's economy.

The Georgia Ports Authority says records are being set at each of the state's four port terminals. Last year, the ports of Savannah, Brunswick, Bainbridge and Columbus collectively handled more than 21 million tons of cargo. At the Port of Savannah, business is up nearly 15 percent for the fiscal year ending 2007, with more than 2 million containers going through Savannah during the same period.

Robert Morris is with the Georgia Ports Authority. Fueling Savannah's growth says Morris, is a weak U-S dollar coupled with a growing international demand for Georgia made products. But, there are other reasons as well.

"The port of Savannah has been able to have the labor and infrastructure needed to make more international shippers want to come in and out of Georgia."

Savannah is now the fourth busiest and fastest growing container terminal in the United States. And, it's the east coast entry point for such major names as Target and Ikea. The state's ports and terminals provide nearly 300-hundred thousand jobs and contribute nearly 15 million dollars to the state's economy.