Georgia (USA) wants deeper Savannah River port
The Georgia Ports Authority wants to deepen the Savannah River channel to accommodate larger container ships.
“Today, more than 50 percent of container ships calling on Savannah are what we call ‘tidally constrained,’ meaning they can’t carry full loads at all tides,” said the authority’s executive director, Doug Marchand. “They have to either come in light-loaded or sail with the tide.”
That could discourage major international players from continuing to grow their operations in Savannah, unless the river channel is deepened to 48 feet.
The Savannah River forms the border with Georgia and South Carolina, which is working on its own port expansion.
More than 70 percent of cargo worldwide is carried on container ships, a number that’s expected to grow because it’s cost efficient, said Charlie Sutlive, executive director of the Savannah Maritime Association.
“More and more companies are recognizing that containers are the way to go,” he said.
In 2006, Georgia Ports Authority accounted for a significant amount of that cargo, handling more than 2 million 20-foot containers and becoming the fourth-busiest port in the country.
Marchand credits the state with investing in the infrastructure necessary for the ports to accommodate double-digit growth year after year. But the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is needed to keep it up, he said, because the size of ships carrying containers is increasing.
Shipping companies can save as much as $4.5 million per voyage by carrying a bit more than double their load, according to the American Association of Port Authorities.
But larger ships need more water to safely navigate the river channel and can’t be bound by tides as they do now in Savannah.
“We’re definitely playing in the big leagues now,” Marchand said. “Right now, we have the room to triple our volume within our current footprint. And we have customers counting on us to be ready for them.
“But we have to get this deepening project done. It’s critical if we want to stay in the big leagues.”
“Today, more than 50 percent of container ships calling on Savannah are what we call ‘tidally constrained,’ meaning they can’t carry full loads at all tides,” said the authority’s executive director, Doug Marchand. “They have to either come in light-loaded or sail with the tide.”
That could discourage major international players from continuing to grow their operations in Savannah, unless the river channel is deepened to 48 feet.
The Savannah River forms the border with Georgia and South Carolina, which is working on its own port expansion.
More than 70 percent of cargo worldwide is carried on container ships, a number that’s expected to grow because it’s cost efficient, said Charlie Sutlive, executive director of the Savannah Maritime Association.
“More and more companies are recognizing that containers are the way to go,” he said.
In 2006, Georgia Ports Authority accounted for a significant amount of that cargo, handling more than 2 million 20-foot containers and becoming the fourth-busiest port in the country.
Marchand credits the state with investing in the infrastructure necessary for the ports to accommodate double-digit growth year after year. But the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is needed to keep it up, he said, because the size of ships carrying containers is increasing.
Shipping companies can save as much as $4.5 million per voyage by carrying a bit more than double their load, according to the American Association of Port Authorities.
But larger ships need more water to safely navigate the river channel and can’t be bound by tides as they do now in Savannah.
“We’re definitely playing in the big leagues now,” Marchand said. “Right now, we have the room to triple our volume within our current footprint. And we have customers counting on us to be ready for them.
“But we have to get this deepening project done. It’s critical if we want to stay in the big leagues.”