The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has announced that Port of Brunswick would build 50 acres of asphalt vehicle storage near Colonel’s Island Terminal.
The infrastructure improvement will enable GPA to more efficiently handle growing trade traversing t he ports at Colonel’s Island.
Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO, Griff Lynch, said: “The combination of space to grow, global and domestic reach, and quality of service make the Port of Brunswick the nation’s premier gateway for RoRo trade.
“With the significant infrastructure investments we’re making at the nation’s largest auto port, GPA is prepared to handle future growth from new and existing customers. This move comes in response to requests from auto manufacturers seeking to expand their cargo volumes through Georgia.”
The Port of Brunswick is expanding Colonel’s Island Terminal’s asphalt storage area by 50 acres. The new auto processing capacity will go online in the summer of 2025, following the recent acquisition of over 120 acres.
GPA Board Chairman, Kent Fountain, stated: “Capacity enhancements approved by the board today will complement the $262 million in auto storage and warehousing recently added at Colonel’s Island – as well as important federal projects planned for Brunswick Harbor. With more than 200 additional acres for expansion, no other RoRo port in the nation has the ability to scale up its operation like Brunswick.”
Colonel’s Island Terminal handled over 870,000 units of RoRo freight in Fiscal Year 2024, which concluded in June.
The terminal upgrades will be accompanied by US Army Corps of Engineers initiatives to enhance Brunswick Harbor.
The Port of Brunswick will receive approximately $38 million in federal funds for maintenance dredging and port upgrades under legislation enacted by Congress on 8 March.
Of that sum, $26.6 million will go toward restoring the federal waterway to its maximum permissible depth. Dredging operations in Brunswick is planned to begin in late 2024.
Another $11.35 million in federal money and $6 million in state funds have been granted to the Corps’ Brunswick Harbor Improvements project, which will improve vessel safety and efficiency in the river channel.
The port expansion proposal includes a larger passageway for vessels, a wider curve, and a larger turning basin for ships mooring at Colonel’s Island.
In August, GPA announced that it is offering heavy equipment manufacturers a new processing and logistics service option in the Savannah area.