Savannah Port Now Has Meat Inspectors and Refrigerated Warehouses

Doug J. Marchand, Executive Director of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), announced on May 7, 2003 that refrigerated warehouse space and U.S.D.A. meat inspection services are available at the Garden City Terminal, Port of Savannah.

With a cold storage capacity of 12 million pounds, which can be expanded to 18 million pounds, Savannah Portside Refrigeration, Inc. (SPR) is initially focusing on the inbound meat trade from Australia and New Zealand as well as exports of U.S. poultry and other meat and foodstuffs worldwide. U.S.D.A. has issued a Grant of Inspection for the facility and has an on-site inspector for meat imports.

“Refrigerated containers through the Port of Savannah have increased by more than 15 percent over last year,” said Marchand. “With the resumption of cold storage services and the opening of this new facility, we expect to see this segment of our container business surge.”

Refrigerated cargo moving through the Port of Savannah exceeded 40,000 TEUs last calendar year with exports comprising close to 85 percent of the total business, Marchand noted.

The new facility at Garden City Terminal has 40,000 square feet of on-dock cold storage with an additional 28,000 square feet available for future expansion. For the most efficient export refrigeration and transit, SPR offers cross-docking, storage and “blast freeze” services.

As an on-terminal facility, Savannah Portside Refrigeration can handle 40-foot, maximum weight containers. “The advantage of this new facility is its location,” said Marchand. “With direct ship-to-port access to the facility on the Garden City Terminal, clients are now able to ship more cargo in one container, thus significantly reducing costs.”

Other improvements to GPA’s refrigerated cargo business include the recent purchase and installation of 200 additional cold storage plugs on the terminal. The additional access to electrical outlets will greatly increase capacity for this important cargo at the ports, Marchand noted.

“It’s a winning combination,” said Richard Devlin, SPR’s President and head of operations. “Everybody’s working together to satisfy the customer. The Georgia Ports Authority is a growing port that wants to do business and has the ability to offer better values to importers and exporters, and Savannah Portside Refrigeration is a value-oriented company. When our customers do well, we do well.” Devlin, a respected industry leader, has 26 years experience managing numerous port-based refrigerated warehouse/inspection facilities in the U.S.

“The Authority is pleased to offer this new service, and we will continue to create additional opportunities to help our customers increase their market share,” said Marchand.

GPA is committed to providing the best service to its customers, employees and partners in the maritime and trucking industries. Furthermore, it is committed to maintaining the most efficient, economical and technologically advanced ports in the maritime industry.

For additional information, please contact Robert Morris, Director of External Affairs, at (912) 964-3855 or fax at (912) 964-3921. E-mail is available via rmorris@gaports.com. Visit the GPA web site at www.gaports.com.