Ga Ports Authority: Bringing Business to the South
It’s the dawn of a new Golden Age in shipping at the Port of Savannah. And Georgia Ports Authority is at the helm, propelling Savannah toward number one.
During the Vice President’s recent visit, men in black suits blocked off his view of the waterfront from city hall — safety precautions. But Mayor Deloach managed to slip him a coin-sized peak. After all, what’s a trip to the Hostess City without a glimpse of Savannah’s crown jewel?
The largest single-container operation of its kind in North America, the Port of Savannah boasts two sprawling terminals—a 1200-acre container facility in Garden City and a 200-acre one at the base of the Talmadge Bridge.
Each day, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), established by the legislature in 1945, deftly choreographs the movements of thousands of workers in this miniature city within a city overlooking the Savannah River. Thirty-eight freighters dock each week, the largest to date approximately three-and-a-half football fields in length.
Once these behemoths clear the bridge, tiny tugboats guide them to shore where union workers secure them for loading and unloading by cranes extending upward of 412 feet in the air. Ever stood beneath the historic Candler Oak across from Forsyth Park? If you have, picture eight such trees one on top of the other and that’s how high the cranes soar.
Want to read more? Subscribe now for instant access to the digital edition, or pick up the 2018 Power Issue from one of our distribution partners.
