By Karen E. Thuermer, AJOT With the opening of the expanded Panama Canal now only two years away, executives at the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) continue to make their argument for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). As of today, all required studies for SHEP have been completed and all documents are in multiple tier processes going through the federal level of previews before being released for public comment. Jamie McCurry, GPA Director of Administration, told this AJOT reporter during an extensive interview, that three government agencies (the Environment Protection Agency, Department of Interior, and Department of Commerce), and the Army Corps of Engineers, have been involved in the development of the documents. “We expect the final documents to be released to the public in mid April,” McCurry revealed. Once released, there will be another 30 day public comment period after which time documents and comments are again reviewed by the federal government. A final decision should then be made in the Third Quarter around September or October. “Following the record of decision, the Corps can begin construction,” he stated. Important to America To many, the deepening of the Port of Savannah is one of the most important civil works projects in the United States today. “It will maintain and create jobs and commerce throughout the nation, while significantly reducing transportation costs for U.S. shippers,” said GPA’s Chairman of the Board Alec L. Poitevint in a press release in October. “As the Southeast’s gateway to the world, our harbor must be able to accommodate these vessels without tidal restrictions in order to efficiently serve global commercial demands.” The SHEP is critical in that it will deepen the Savannah River from 42 feet to as much as 48 feet, thereby allowing deeper draft ships to call at the port. Curtis J. Foltz, GPA executive director, recently wrote that the deepening will provide a critical national need to improve efficiency and reduce costs in the transport of goods and commodities. “Deepening our harbor will expedite the vessels that already call on Savannah, including the 8,500 TEU and larger container ships, which will increase in number after the Panama Canal expansion,” he said. In fact, McCurry pointed out, ships capable of carrying 8,000 to 9,000 TEUs are already calling Savannah and other East Coast ports. That’s because steamship lines, seeking economies of scale, are consolidating cargo into fewer, and larger vessels, and transiting the Atlantic Ocean, via the Suez Canal, prior to the Panama Canal’s completion. “This shows that the need for ports that can accommodate these ships is here today, not just a future reality,” McCurry emphasized. The cost of the harbor deepening is substantial, but the rewards could be great given the volume of cargo that transits the Port of Savannah. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects that the estimated project costs for a 47-foot alternative, for example, is $570 million shared by the federal government and the state of Georgia. The cost share percentage of the SHEP, however, depends on the depth ultimately selected once all the reviews and coordination are complete. Georgia has already committed over $130 million in SHEP and Georgia Governor Nathan Deal proposed in mid January another $46 million dollars. “If approved by the State Legislature, that would put into SHEP over $180 million in state investment, which is close to half of the state obligation for construction of this project.” Shipment Totals In 2011, the Port of Savannah handled a record 2.95 million TEUs, an additional 130,000 units, or a 3.5 percent increase, over 2010. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, this places the Port of Savannah second only to the Port of Los Angeles for the export of American containerized goods. In addition, Savannah maintains a positive trade balance, with exports making up 53 percent of the GPA’s total containerized cargo for FY 2011 July 1, 2010