Georgia Governor, Nathan Deal, released his Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal last week, allocating $35 million in additional support for the Port of Savannah deepening, for a total of $301 million in state funds.
“We’d like to thank the governor and General Assembly for their full and complete support of the state share of the project, and we look forward to seeing the federal match with the upcoming release of the President’s budget and the appropriations process ,” said GPA Board Chairman, Jimmy Allgood.
“Our federal delegation to Washington also deserves our appreciation for their tireless work in support of Savannah’s harbor expansion.”
Currently, there are three dredges working in the Savannah River. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2021.
“Savannah is double the size of the next largest port in the region, highlighting Georgia’s growing role as a gateway for American cargo ,” Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director, Griff Lynch said. “ Similarly, there is no deepening project more significant in the nation at this time than the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project.”
As part of the Authority’s ongoing effort to expand capacity, the board approved a $3.5 million expenditure to update four of its older ship-to-shore cranes to operate with greater speed and efficiency.
In November, the Port of Savannah received four Neopanamax cranes. Another six will arrive in 2020, growing the port’s fleet to 36 cranes, and allowing the port to move nearly 1,300 containers per hour over a single dock.