With another $35 million in port deepening funds awaiting Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature, Georgia will have allocated $266 million, fulfilling the state’s portion of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project widely referred to as SHEP.
“Lawmakers across Georgia recognize that improving the Savannah Harbor is critically important to the continued economic health of this state and region,” Deal said. “That unified vision is also evident among our delegation to Washington, which has worked tirelessly to secure the federal portion of the project costs.
“It is now long overdue for the federal government to fund their portion of this federal project to make U.S. manufactured products more competitive overseas.”
Dredging Savannah’s river channel from 42 to 47 feet is necessary to accommodate the super-sized container vessels that will call on the port following the Panama Canal’s expansion in 2016.
Despite approvals by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and all involved federal agencies, state officials and the Georgia congressional delegation were stunned to learn earlier this month that no funding for construction of the project was included in the president’s budget proposal for Fiscal 2015.
Instead, the White House Office of Management and Budget has indicated no construction can take place until Congress passes the 2014 Water Resources Development Act, which contains language that would correct an outdated spending cap placed on the project when it was authorized 15 years ago.
A finalized version of the bill is expected in late April.
Waiting for Jax?
Meanwhile, Waterways Council CEO and President Mike Toohey told the Journal of Commerce on Tuesday it’s likely part of the reason Congress hasn’t yet finalized a water resources development bill is because legislators are waiting for the Army Corps of Engineers to finish some near-completed project reviews, including the Port of Jacksonville in Florida.
The Corps is expected to wrap up its review of Jaxport’s $684 million project to deepen its channel from 40 feet to 47 feet late next month.
Along with SHEP, Jacksonville’s project was one of seven at five major ports deemed “nationally and regionally significant infrastructure projects” that would be fast-tracked as part of the Obama administration’s “We Can’t Wait” initiative, announced in the summer of 2012.
Other “We Can’t Wait” projects are at the ports of Miami, New York/New Jersey and Charleston, S.C.
Although actual dredging in the Savannah River is on hold until the water bill passes, other work will continue, according to Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz.
“The $266 million in state funding for SHEP is enough to allow significant progress on the project, including environmental improvements such as rerouting freshwater flows and improvements to the outer harbor,” Foltz said.
“Besides deepening the channel, the harbor expansion will also include general navigation improvements, such as wider channel turns and a larger turning basin.”
Nina, Pinta replicas to visit
Replicas of Chrisopher Columbus’ famous ships the Nina and the Pinta are scheduled to arrive in Savannah next week. They will tie up at the River Street Market Place dock and open for visitors from next Friday through April 6.
“Archaeology Magazine” has called the Nina, which was built completely by hand and without the use of power tools, “the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built.”
The Pinta was recently built in Brazil to accompany the Nina on all of her travels. She is a larger version of the archetypal caravel, a highly maneuverable Portuguese sailing ship used by Columbus and considered by historians to be the Space Shuttle of the fifteenth century.
The two ships tour together as a new and enhanced ‘sailing museum’ for the purpose of educating the public and school children on the caravel and the many early explorers to discover the world.
While in port, ships will be open to the general public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for walk-aboard, self-guided tours. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $6 for students ages 5-16. Children 4 and younger are free.
Teachers or organizations wishing to schedule a 30-minute guided tour with a crew member should call 787-672-2152 or email columfnd1492@gmail.com. Cost of group tour is $5 per person with a 15-person minimum.
For more information, go to www.thenina.com.
Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.
Following are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean terminals this week. Schedules are supplied by GPA and are subject to change.
TERMINAL VESSEL ETA
GCT CSAV LINGUE Today
GCT MSC INGRID Today
GCT PARTICI Today
GCT LONDON EXPRESS Today
GCT XENA Today
GCT PETROCHEM TRADER Today
GCT SAFMARINE BANDAMA Today
GCT WASHINGTON EXPRESS Today
GCT DALIAN EXPRESS Today
GCT MAERSK WISCONSIN Today
OT TALISMAN Today
OT BBC OLYMPUS Today
OT BAHRI ABHA Today
GCT OOCL KOBE Saturday
GCT ZIM MONACO Saturday
GCT XIN YING KOU Saturday
GCT NYK ARCADIA Saturday
GCT MSC LUISA Sunday
GCT CMA CGM LA SCALA Sunday
GCT YORKTOWN EXPRESS Sunday
GCT JO ILEX Monday
GCT HANJIN SAN DIEGO Monday
GCT NYK REMUS Monday
GCT HOECHST EXPRESS Monday
GCT MSC CHARLESTON Monday
GCT MAERSK DETROIT Monday
GCT NYK LAURA Monday
OT TAMERLANE Monday
OT OCEAN IBIS Monday
GCT MSC MELISSA Tuesday
GCT CHEMTRANS ALSTER Tuesday
GCT EVER DEVELOP Tuesday
GCT SAFMARINE BANDAMA Tuesday
GCT APL GARNET Tuesday
GCT CHEMBULK SHANGHAI Tuesday
GCT NYK DEMETER Tuesday
OT BLUE MARLIN I Tuesday
GCT MOL PRECISION Wednesday
GCT BOSTON TRADER Wednesday
GCT MAERSK KENSINGTON Wednesday
GCT GREENWICH BRIDGE Wednesday
GCT HANJIN PHILADELPHIA Wednesday
OT SAFMARINE SUMBA Wednesday
GCT VARAMO Thursday
GCT MAERSK OHIO Thursday
GCT ZIM PUSAN Thursday
GCT HALIFAX EXPRESS Thursday
OT BRILLIANT SKY Thursday