Future success for US ports depends on cargo fluidity — the ability to move massive container exchanges not only on and off vessels, but beyond terminal gates.
Value for BCOs depends on overland and maritime logistics networks working in tandem to bring goods to market quickly and reliably. GPA will inject additional value into the supply chain in 2021 through a multifaceted expansion of capacity.
By the summer of 2021, the Port of Savannah will commission the second set of new working tracks on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, increasing its total from eight to 18 and doubling GPA’s rail lift capacity to 2 million TEU per year. This space for new business will open up the Port of Savannah as a viable new option for additional inland destinations.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is expected to deliver a deeper Savannah Harbor by the end of the year. Now more than 75 percent complete, the project will allow larger vessels to take on heavier loads with fewer tidal restrictions. As with other deepening projects, this will mean faster service and improved cargo efficiency.
Having seen success at its Appalachian Regional Port, GPA plans to begin earthwork in 2021 for a new inland port in Northeast Georgia. Besides the high-volume movement of cargo, such facilities provide quicker container returns for importers and better empty container availability for exporters.
Through collaboration among GPA and local and state economic development authorities, Georgia has created new opportunities for 3PLs, frozen and chilled cargo storage, and general retail distribution, as well as export cargoes such as resins. In a market featuring 79 million square feet of industrial space, another 8.7 million are currently under construction. This new space will allow more companies to use Savannah as part of a “four corners” approach to serve the US.