Move is Part of Wider Initiative to Convert Savannah to All-Container
Georgia Ports Authority is migrating breakbulk operations at the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal to the Port of Brunswick as part of a longer-term initiative to convert the former into a container-only facility.
The Port of Savannah comprises the deepwater Garden City Terminal, the fourth busiest container handling facility in the US, and Ocean Terminal, which handles breakbulk and RoRo operations.
However, a plan already sanctioned by GPA to renovate the docks at the 200-acre Ocean Terminal and expand container operations there will see breakbulk cargo carried by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean shifted to Brunswick’s Colonel Island Terminal.
Construction has already begun on 360,000 square feet of new warehousing for auto processing at Colonel Island, as well as three additional buildings and 85 acres of auto storage space on the south side of the island.
According to a spokesperson at GPA, breakbulk cargo currently handled at Ocean Terminal will move to Colonel’s Island between August and September 2023, once the new warehousing is completed. The 85 acres will also start coming online in September 2023, the spokesperson said.
“For nearly 40 years, Ocean Terminal has been handling a mix of container ships and breakbulk vessels. The realignment is part of a broader effort to transform the terminal into an all-container operation, shifting most breakbulk cargo to the Port of Brunswick,” said Griff Lynch, executive director at GPA.
“Completion of this project will improve our flexibility and allow Georgia Ports to optimize cargo movement, supporting our customers in delivering goods to market efficiently.”
After Baltimore, Brunswick is the second busiest hub for RoRo cargo in the US, last year moving 650,000 units of vehicles and heavy machinery, ten percent up on 2020.
Mayor’s Point Terminal, Georgia’s main hub for the export of forest products, and the breakbulk-handling Marine Port Terminals, operated by Logistec USA, are Brunswick’s other deepwater terminals.
The overhaul at Ocean Terminal, meanwhile, will begin by rebuilding docks to provide 2,800 feet of berth space capable of serving two large vessels simultaneously, with the expanded facility boasting eight new ship-to-shore cranes.
Wharf renovations are slated to start in January 2023, with completion of the entire terminal redevelopment expected in 2026, GPA said.
PHOTO TOP: Breakbulk handling at Ocean Terminal. CREDIT: GPA
PHOTO INSERT: Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal. CREDIT: GPA
