Georgia Ports Authority has completed the 2,650-foot renovated berth at Savannah’s Ocean Terminal as the $1.6bn redevelopment passes the 60% mark, according to an authority statement.
The project will lift annual container capacity at Ocean Terminal from 200,000 TEU to 1.75m TEU. “Ocean Terminal is a major part of our strategy to prepare Savannah for future growth.
The renovated berth is fully completed and ready for big ships,” Georgia Ports Authority chief executive Griff Lynch said at the authority’s board meeting.
Smaller vessels will continue to use Ocean Terminal until the first phase of the container yard redevelopment is completed in mid-fall 2027. The entire yard is scheduled for completion by the end of 2028.
The terminal’s truck gate is fully operational and will have 12 inbound and six outbound lanes. Georgia Ports has also funded a $29m overpass linking departing truck traffic with US 17 and Interstate 16, allowing vehicles to bypass local neighbourhood streets.
Ocean Terminal covers about 200 acres. The redevelopment forms part of a wider infrastructure programme under which the authority plans to invest nearly $5bn over the next decade, including five additional big-ship container berths in Savannah and another roll-on/roll-off berth in Brunswick.
The Port of Savannah handled 529,523 TEU in August. Loaded exports rose 4.2% to 117,242 TEU, while loaded imports increased 1.5% to 265,859 TEU.
Georgia Ports Authority is a US state authority created in 1945 and governed by a 13-member board appointed by the governor of Georgia. It oversees the state’s deepwater ports at Savannah and Brunswick as well as inland port facilities.