Clik here to view.
The Port of Savannah is now home to the “Savannah Giant,” one of the most powerful barge-based cranes on the Eastern Seaboard. If you have occasion to cross the Talmadge Bridge, you may have seen the big crane working a ship at Ocean Terminal, its construction-yellow “stick” rising high above the docks.
With the ability to lift 500 tons, the crane is designed to move outsized and heavy cargo directly from ships at Ocean Terminal to rail or heavy haul trucks, according to Stacy Watson, Georgia Ports general manager of economic and industrial development.
The Savannah Giant was purchased through a $3 million OneGeorgia state grant administered by the Savannah Economic Development Authority as part of an agreement with Mitsubishi Power Systems, whose Savannah Machinery Works is located on the Pooler megasite.
When the company was looking for a place to build its new $350 million state-of-the-art turbine plant — the first outside of Japan — it indicated one of the first requirements would be a deepwater port and the ability to lift heavy components from ship to rail.
While Georgia Ports Authority’s Ocean Terminal fit the first part of that requirement, the second part required some creative maneuvering. Ocean Terminal already had cranes capable of lifting up to 175 tons, but Mitsubishi’s heaviest components weighed in at between 400 and 500 tons.
Watson, never one to back down from a challenge, brought in engineers to make sure the terminal docks could support that much weight, then solicited the help of railroad officials to make sure Mitsubishi’s largest components would fit in railcars and clear the terminal.
While Watson made sure Mitsubishi’s request was doable, SEDA got to work finding a way to finance such a huge crane.
Up and running for almost a year now, the Savannah Giant — operated by Savannah Heavy Lift, a sister company of Stevens Towing — not only provides a crucial service for Mitsubishi, it gives other manufacturers the ability to move their heaviest loads into — and out of — the port of Savannah.
Conference draws heavy hitters
The 46th annual Georgia Foreign Trade Conference, set for early next month at The Cloister on Sea Island, is once again attracting leaders on the front lines of the logistics industry.
Georgia Ports Authority is well-represented, with board chairman Robert S. Jepson Jr. and chief commercial officer Cliff Pyron serving as conference chairman and master of ceremonies, respectively, while GPA executive director Curtis Foltz is a featured speaker.
The conference opens Feb. 3 with insights from the federal and state perspective offered by Gov. Nathan Deal, Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Chris Carr and U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston.
Jorge Luis Quijano, CEO of the Panama Canal Authority, and Adm. Mohab Mohamed Hussien Memeesh, chairman of the Suez Canal, will discuss factors influencing trade to the U.S. East Coast, while shipping company executives will talk about issues facing ocean carriers.
On Day 2, Walter Kemmsies, chief economist for maritime engineering and design firm Moffat & Nichol, will discuss economic forces affecting global trade, while Foltz is on tap to offer the port perspective for 2014.
For more information on the conference or to register, go to http://www.gaforeigntrade.com.
Senior business writer Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for Savannah Morning News and Savannahnow. Reach her at 912-652-0324 or mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.
SHIPPING SCHEDULE
Following are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean terminals this week. Schedules are supplied by GPA and are subject to change.
TERMINAL VESSEL ETA
GCT ZIM PUSAN Today
GCT IBRAHIM DEDE Today
GCT NYK METEOR Today
GCT MSC MARINA Today
GCT APL CORAL Today
GCT MAERSK DENPASAR Today
GCT MOL PROGRESS Today
GCT MSC RACHELE Today
GCT CMA CGM CORAL Today
GCT HANJIN LOS ANGELES Today
GCT CMA CGM MANET Saturday
GCT ZIM VIRGINIA Saturday
GCT PRIMAVERA Saturday
GCT WASHINGTON EXPRESS Saturday
GCT ZIM RIO GRANDE Sunday
GCT JPO CAPRICORNUS Sunday
GCT APL ZEEBRUGGE Sunday
GCT XIN YING KOU Sunday
OT SALOME Sunday
GCT NYK DEMETER Monday
GCT NEW DELHI EXPRESS Monday
GCT CMA CGM L’ETOILE Monday
GCT CORNELIA MAERSK Monday
GCT MAERSK ATLANTA Monday
GCT HANJIN KINGSTON Tuesday
GCT MOL ENDEAVOR Tuesday
GCT YM MOBILITY Tuesday
GCT HANJIN WILMINGTON Tuesday
GCT EVER DYNAMIC Tuesday
GCT NYK JOANNA Tuesday
GCT DALIAN EXPRESS Tuesday
OT ATLANTIC ELAND Tuesday
OT SHANDONG HAI DA Tuesday
OT STAR LUSTER Tuesday
GCT HYUNDAI OAKLAND Wednesday
GCT MSC JUDITH Wednesday
GCT MSC KYOTO Wednesday
GCT STUTTGART EXPRESS Wednesday
GCT MOL PREMIUM Wednesday
GCT NEDLLOYD HUDSON Wednesday
GCT MSC VANESSA Wednesday
GCT SHIPPAN ISLAND Wednesday
GCT MAERSK OHIO Thursday
GCT ZIM NEW YORK Thursday
GCT CSAV LLANQUIHUE Thursday
GCT MAERSK ROUBAIX Thursday
GCT YM SINGAPORE Thursday
GCT GREENWICH BRIDGE Thursday
GCT HOECHST EXPRESS Thursday
OT GRANDE MAROCCO Thursday