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The Army Corps of Engineers took to the water, while the Coast Guard hovered overhead Thursday to practice their joint emergency disaster preparedness.
The primary purpose of the exercise was to ensure that Coast Guard aviation and Corps of Engineers water assets can communicate to coordinate search and rescue missions and vital Savannah River navigation channel survey operations during a crisis, such as immediately after a hurricane.
Communications with aircraft and water vessels were tested from the Statesboro Federal Courthouse, a potential command and control site that could be used for continuity of operations if a disaster renders the primary site in Savannah inoperable.
“Coordinating and rehearsing joint operations between the Army Corps and the Coast Guard ensures faster response capabilities than would normally be possible if the agencies were not working together like this during a crisis,” said Corps spokesman Billy Birdwell.
The exercise allowed testing of the range and capabilities of Corps and Coast Guard communications between a remote operating command post, air to ground, and air to vessel assets, he said.
The operation went well, Birdwell said.
“We found some small glitches that we can now work on eliminating, which was the primary purpose of the exercise,” he said.
“A drill like this one allows both agencies to identify any obstacles or concerns in a controlled environment, enabling a better prepared response in a real crisis.”
Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Anthony L. Soto agreed.
“The Coast Guard trains each and every day in various areas, including search and rescue,” Soto said. “We also train with other agencies to make sure we’re all on the same page when we work together in emergency situations.
“That kind of training helps us find and correct deficiencies and remove obstacles, which will result in a seamless interagency operation when an actual disaster occurs.”
The importance of exports
New data from the U.S. Commerce Department show exports continue to be critical to Georgia’s economic growth, with exports accounting for more than 200,000 jobs statewide.
“U.S. companies of all sizes are exploring the possible benefits of exporting and looking beyond our borders to expand their customer base,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Stefan M. Selig. “More than 95 percent of potential consumers live outside the United States and crave the world-class products offered by American businesses.”
In Savannah, Georgia Ports Authority reported a 7 percent rise in exports through its two deepwater ports.
Total export tonnage for fiscal 2014, which ended June 30, was just shy of 17 million tons and represented 57.9 percent of the GPA’s total tonnage for the year.
Key merchandise export categories for Georgia last year included transportation equipment, machinery, chemicals, paper, food and food-related products. Canada, Mexico, China, the UK, and Japan were the leading destinations for Georgia exports.
Save the date
Heading into its seventh year, the Georgia Logistics Summit has become a “can’t miss” opportunity for those in the industry to network, learn and do business. This year’s summit hosted 2,200 attendees from 39 states and 11 nations, making it one of the largest logistics-related events in the nation.
So circle March 31 and April 1 on your 2015 calendar and plan to be at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta for another summit packed with valuable business information and networking opportunities.
The agenda and activities of each new summit continue to be driven by input directly from the industry, said Page Siplon at the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics.
“Keynote speakers will address topics that are relevant to the operation and logistics success of your business,” Siplon said. “We are excited to soon share the agenda for 2015, which is packed with many new speakers and maintains the most popular sessions.”
Go to www.GeorgiaLogistics.com for updates and more information.
Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.
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 SEQUOIA Today
GCT SITEAM JUPITER Today
GCT MSC SHANGHAI Today
GCT JPO CAPRICORNUS Today
GCT MAERSK IOWA Today
GCT MOZAMBIQUE Today
GCT MAERSK DANANG Today
OT GENTLE LEADER Today
OT GRANDE GUINEA Today
OT TITANIA Today
GCT OOCL KOBE Saturday
GCT ZIM TARRAGONA Saturday
GCT WASHINGTON EXPRESS Saturday
GCT DALLAS EXPRESS Saturday
GCT MSC MAEVA Saturday
GCT MSC VANESSA Saturday
OT SALOME Saturday
GCT HANJIN DALLAS Sunday
GCT FLEX BOX CONTAINER Sunday
GCT MAERSK DETROIT Sunday
GCT YM GREAT Sunday
OT STAR LOEN Sunday
OT SAFMARINE SUGUTA Sunday
GCT VECCHIO BRIDGE Monday
GCT APL LATVIA Monday
GCT UASC JEDDAH Monday
GCT RHL FELICITAS Monday
GCT CMA CGM MATISSE Monday
GCT HORIZON APHRODITE Monday
GCT CAFER DEDE Monday
GCT HYUNDAI SUPREME Monday
GCT JPO VULPECULA Monday
GCT SAKAKA Monday
GCT NYK LAURA Monday
OT TUGELA Monday
GCT MSC PINA Tuesday
GCT MOL EFFICIENCY Tuesday
GCT YM MOBILITY Tuesday
GCT CONRAD S Wednesday
GCT CMA CGM DALILA Wednesday
GCT APL AGATE Thursday
GCT MOL MARVEL Thursday
GCT WEHR SINGAPORE Thursday
GCT MSC JULIA R. Thursday
GCT ZIM NEW YORK Thursday
GCT VARAMO Thursday
GCT MSC NAVEGANTES Thursday
GCT LESOTHO Thursday
GCT KOBE EXPRESS Thursday
GCT HANJIN ELIZABETH Thursday
OT BAHRI JAZAN Thursday