Ensures capacity to meet growing demand
Savannah, GA — The Georgia Ports Authority received five new Rubber-Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes Saturday, with five additional units due to arrive in July, and two in September. With more RTG cranes than any other single container terminal in all of North America, the expanding 150-unit plus fleet will keep the Port of Savannah ahead of record growth and demand for its services.
“These new RTGs will keep our vessel services and yard operations world-class,” said Griff Lynch, GPA’s Executive Director. “The added capacity will maintain low turn-times and help expand and expedite intermodal cargo throughout the U.S. Southeast and Midwest regions.”
Designed by Konecranes of Finland, the RTGs have a lift capacity of 50 long tons. They are tall enough to work containers stacked five high and deep enough to cover six container bays and a truck lane. The cranes’ efficient engines automatically run at the lowest revolutions per minute needed to match the varying weight of containers. Earlier generations ran at a fixed 1,800 rpm regardless of load conditions, but the new engines run in a range from 800 to 2,100 rpm. As a result, the new machines consume about one-third less fuel during typical RTG operations.
Will McKnight, GPA’s Board Chairman-elect, said GPA’s fleet of RTGs and ship-to-shore cranes – set to grow from 30 to 42 over the next decade – is part of the Authority’s comprehensive growth plan, which also includes a deeper harbor, new container yard space, truck gates and a massive rail expansion.
“The Port of Savannah is already the nation’s third busiest gateway for containerized trade,” McKnight said. “With these enhancements, Garden City Terminal is poised to keep driving economic development for the state of Georgia well into the future.”
Ed McCarthy, GPA’s Chief Operating Officer, said an expanded RTG fleet is necessary to accommodate the Port of Savannah’s growing trade and ongoing container yard improvements. “Of GPA’s top 10 months for container trade, eight were achieved during the current fiscal year. Last month was our busiest May ever, at 373,394 twenty-foot equivalent container units. To stay ahead of demand, the Authority added three new container rows in 2018 and plans an additional seven container rows in 2020. These projects will add storage capacity totaling more than 25,000 TEUs.”
The cranes arrived at the Port of Savannah fully assembled. After final checks, the five RTGs will be commissioned by July 3.
Find print-quality images of port operations here. Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.5 percent of U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2017.
For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.
