Infrastructure & Facilities: Georgia, Hueneme, Miami

Georgia inked a partnership this week that established a direct rail route from its terminal in Savannah to a Cordele Intermodal Services facility in southwest Georgia. At Port Hueneme, port leaders christened a new mobile harbor crane. PortMiami announced that Resorts World Bimini will begin offering twice-daily departures to Bimini aboard the cruise ship SuperFast.

An inland port agreement signed July 10 by Gov. Nathan Deal, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) and Cordele Intermodal Services (CIS), establishes a direct 200-mile rail route to and from GPA’s Garden City Terminal in Savannah, creating a gateway to Southwest Georgia and adjacent regions of Florida and Alabama. The partnership is outlined in a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

The Cordele inland port is located on 40 acres, with an option to expand up to 1,200 acres in the Crisp County Industrial Park. The facility is less than one mile from Interstate 75, Georgia Highway 300 and Georgia Highway 280, and allows direct container rail service to and from the ports of Brunswick and Savannah.

According to the GPA, the inland port offers a viable intermodal option to an all-truck-dray to the deepwater port of Savannah for CIS’ target market. Instead of making the roundtrip to Savannah or Brunswick, drivers can now drop their cargo at the inland port, allowing shorter hauls and more frequent turns.

Photo/Stephen Morton, GPA

Port leadership joined Ports America on July 10 in christening the stevedoring company’s newest heavy-lift addition to its Port Hueneme operation, a mobile harbor crane delivered by its Austrian manufacturer, Liebherr. It joins a second Ports America crane of the same model, known locally as "Big Blue." The new crane has a 124-ton capacity.

"This mobile harbor crane greatly increases shore-side productivity in tandem with our existing crane and increases our flexibility to work more than one ship at a time," said Ports America’s site manager Kevin Beirne.

Scott Nerell, Chiquita’s director of North American Port Operations, said, "This solidifies a commitment to Chiquita that helps ensure our West Coast containerized operations are safe, efficient and competitive."

Resorts World Bimini will start offering round-trips between PortMiami and Bimini twice daily aboard the Bimini SuperFast cruise ship. Resorts World has committed to advancing the funding for upgrades at PortMiami’s Terminal H as part of a long-term lease agreement with the port. The entire project represents a $100 million investment by Resorts World, and is projected to create more than 60 construction jobs and 250 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to the 300 jobs on board the ship.

Once upgraded, Terminal H will be capable of accommodating up to 3,000 passengers per day. The deal also will generate port revenues amounting to an estimated $7 million annually.

The German-built Bimini SuperFast, is a 32,000 ton ship, with speeds up to 30 knots. Reportedly the fastest cruise ship in the Americas, it is capable of crossing the powerful Gulfstream separating Florida and the Bimini Islands in just over two hours. On-board amenities include six restaurants and bars and a party deck.

"PortMiami is pleased to welcome the Bimini SuperFast cruise ship to our fleet," said PortMiami Director Bill Johnson. "The twice-daily service is a great enhancement to the cruise options out of Miami."

American Association of Port Authorities
Asociación Americana de Autoridades Portuarias
1201 Maryland Ave SW, Suite 860, Washington, D.C. 20024
E: info@aapa-ports.org
W: www.aapa-ports.org