Savannah's port terminal to receive $ 410 million makeover

The Port of Savannah is planning a $410 million renovation of one of its main terminals to make space for larger ships to dock and unload while concentrating its operations nearly entirely on goods transported in containers.The project was given the go-ahead by the Georgia Ports Authority's governing board as part of a strategy to increase Savannah's cargo container capacity by more than 50% by 2025.Significant modifications for the 200-acre Ocean Terminal in Savannah, which already manages the majority of Georgia's breakbulk freight, including lumber, paper, and steel. In the upcoming year, those operations will relocate to the Port of Brunswick, which is located about 110 kilometre south of Savannah.Ocean Terminal will be changed to handle cargo in containers, which are big metal boxes used to transport items by ship, train, or truck, from consumer electronics to frozen chicken. At an additional expense of $163 million, the terminal's berths will be renovated to accommodate the simultaneous service of two large ships by eight new ship-to-shore cranes.The adjustments come after more than a year of frantic efforts by American seaports, notably Savannah, the fourth largest container port in the US, to keep up with an increase in imports that left ships stacked up offshore waiting to dock. Shippers had to transfer cargo to Savannah and other ports on the East and Gulf Coasts because of heavy traffic delays off the West Coast.