Fastest Growing U.S. Port Rolls Out $1.2 Billion Capital Improvement Plan

Fastest Growing U.S. Port Rolls Out $1.2 Billion Capital Improvement Plan

April 16, 2007

Investments to accommodate Georgia's booming trade with
Asia
						
    HONG KONG, April 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Members of
the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Board of Directors
unveiled its $1.2 billion capital improvement plan for the
ports of Savannah and Brunswick with officials in Hong Kong
and Singapore this week.  

    "We're making investments today to accommodate
Georgia's booming trade with Asia tomorrow," said
Steve Green, GPA's Vice-Chairman. "Asia's economy
continues to fuel world trade and is developing a vibrant
domestic market for Georgia-made products." 

    Georgia is the second largest importer and exporter of
goods to and from Asia on the U.S. East Coast (USEC).
Looking at Hong Kong alone, Georgia is the third largest
importer and second largest exporter on the USEC. With such
strong Asian trade, the GPA is paving the way to accommodate
future growth.

    Several new services connecting Savannah and Asia have
firmly cemented Savannah as the number-one port on the USEC
for trade with Northeast Asia and the number-two port for
Asian trade on the USEC. The GPA has 24 Asia services with
six transiting the Suez Canal: three of which call
Southeast Asia and three of which call India/Middle East.
The GPA expects two more Suez services within the next
three months (one from India and one from SE Asia).

    Last year, 1,116,062 TEUs or 53 percent of the GPA's
total 2.1 million TEUs (throughput), consisted of direct
imports and exports to and from China including Hong Kong.

    During meetings with top shipping executives, GPA
officials provided details of a billion-dollar-plus plan
that will secure future growth with Asia. Capital
investments include new super post-Panamax container cranes
and rubber-tired gantry cranes, major technology upgrades
and other terminal improvements.

    The GPA will have 19 container cranes by early 2008
when four new cranes come online and at least 25 in use by
2015. The addition of 15 RTGs in 2008 and 12 in 2009 will
yield a total of 58. 

    "In CY2006, the GPA has attracted 10 new services
with five to Asia," said Doug J. Marchand, GPA's
Executive Director. "This has expanded our customers'
ability to move cargo globally." More than a decade
ago the GPA set out to attract the big box retailers
sourcing from Asia and succeeded. 


    For more information, please contact: 

     Robert Morris
     GPA's director of external affairs
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]
     Web:   http://www.gaports.com