At Tuesday’s State of the Brunswick Port address, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz had nothing but good news for the crowd gathered at the Jekyll Island Convention Center to learn how Georgia’s other port had fared in fiscal 2014.
“Our deepwater terminals in Brunswick achieved broad growth in all business sectors, including forest and farm products as well as breakbulk cargo, auto and machinery units,” Foltz said. “Total tonnage was up by 11.6 percent, at more than 3.4 million tons of cargo.”
Foltz also reported a record number of auto and machinery units moved over Brunswick docks in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
It was the third year in a row that GPA achieved a record total for auto and machinery units, this year marking a 10 percent improvement over the previous year. Taking Brunswick’s Colonel’s Island and Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, GPA moved 700,702 roll-on/roll-off units, an increase of 63,760.
Most of that business — 674,327 units — moved over Colonel’s Island terminal.
New business in Brunswick includes Honda imports, as well as expansions in the number of vehicles moved for Audi, Bentley, GM, Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Subaru and Toyota.
In anticipation of continued strong growth in roll-on/roll-off traffic, Foltz said GPA has opportunities to expand on Colonel’s Island, with 696 acres now in use on the north side of the island and another 742 acres permitted for expansion on the south side.
“Already the nation’s second busiest auto handler, the Port of Brunswick is in an excellent position to significantly expand capacity and, in turn, grow its market share,” Foltz said.
But autos and machinery units were just one part of Brunswick’s success story.
East River Terminal saw a total of 973,281 tons of bulk cargo, including such products as wood pellets and chips, an increase of 19.4 percent. Meanwhile, at Mayor’s Point — which handles such forest products as wood pulp, linerboard, plywood and paper — tonnage grew by 21.9 percent to reach 157,686 tons.
Agribulk cargo handled at Colonel’s Island Terminal grew by 5.3 percent, reaching 991,374 tons. Growth was largely due to increases in soybean meal, while wheat and corn were also important commodities.
In addition to recapping the last fiscal year’s performance, Foltz reported on the maintenance dredging of the Brunswick shipping channel.
The Obama Administration’s budget for this fiscal year includes only $3.9 million for Brunswick maintenance and the House Appropriations Committee has approved funding at that level, which is down from $5.3 million.
Last year, the GPA approved spending up to $3 million of its own money to supplement federal maintenance dredging funds, and this year they have done the same thing.
“The Corps of Engineers and the Brunswick River Pilots made a lot of progress with that $8.3 million last year, and we simply can’t allow the channel to silt back in,” Foltz said.
“But we can’t, we shouldn’t and we won’t keep doing this year after year,” he said. “It’s time for the federal government to step up.
“We would like to thank the Georgia delegation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their continued efforts to address the shortfall of funding for this critical infrastructure,” Foltz said. “Maintaining the harbor at its authorized depth, both now and in the future, is vital to the free flow of trade at the Port of Brunswick.”
GPA board chairman James Walters agreed.
“Georgia’s ports provide an important link to overseas markets for U.S. manufacturing and farm production,” Walters said. “Georgia’s business-friendly tax structure and targeted training programs make our state an attractive home for industries hoping to expand their global reach.”