Dixie Transforming

Bigger is better. (um, yeah.  next!)

Build it and they will come. (sounds risky…)

He who hesitates is a damned fool.  (sign me up)

These quotes capture the looming concerns of U.S. port facilities.  For years, shipping conglomerates have been phasing out smaller ships to invest in the largest vessels possible to realize greater economies of scale in shipping costs.  In an effort to retain market share, the Panama Canal authority decided to expand to accommodate these ships.  The anticipated completion of the Panama Canal improvements in 2014 will enable some of the largest ocean-going vessels to achieve shorter passage routes between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.  As a result, port facilities around the world are in a tizzy to stay competitive once the large ships are allowed to make the 48 mile journey through the newly expanded 180′ wide locks.

Vessel terminology is a critical issue in the discussion.  Currently, the 110′ wide Miraflores locks allow “Panamax” ships to pass through.  It’s a tight squeeze considering the ships are 106′ wide.  The class of vessels able to pass through the Panama Canal once improvements are made are termed “post Panamax” or “new Panamax” ships (between 134′-160′ wide, respectively, passing through a 180′ lock).  “Post” and “new” Panamax ships are eclipsed in size by a superior grade of ships, termed “super post Panamax.”  The super post Panamax vessels, at 176′ wide, will not be able to pass through the improved Panama canal.  They are limited to ocean-only routes between ports.

Ports around the world are upgrading to super post Panamax cranes to the tune of $5 million each.

Port facilities are hedging bets and expanding as big as state and federal budgets will allow.  Ports do not want to miss the proverbial train (er, container ship) and find themselves out of the cargo handling game.  The Port of Georgia’s Garden City Terminal (just north of Savannah) serves as a prime example of this sea change (ba-da-bing) in global shipping trends.

In the last several years, the Port of Georgia has purchased a number of cranes that can offload super post Panamax container ships.  The implication of replacing the current cranes with larger ones becomes obvious once you get out on the water. These cranes are ENORMOUS and have nearly twice the reach of a standard Panamax class crane.  Their ominous perch over the river suggests the Port expects to be ground zero for global shipping in years to come.  To fulfill the Port’s imminent destiny, the Savannah River must be dredged to maintain a 48′ depth along the channel thus increasing the likelihood of salt water intrusion inland.  The neighboring Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, home and breeding ground to aquatic and avian life, can be expected to suffer fallout from the increase in river congestion and associated pollution resulting from these and other Port enhancements.

I spent a sunny morning with a self-described Port advocate a few Saturdays ago.  For about an hour, the two of us cruised around on his for-hire motor boat looking at the newest improvements.  I asked him about his work and his outlook on the present and future Port.  With the current troubled economy, he believed most Savannahians are fully supportive of the Port’s expansion and improvements.  No surprise, really, considering the Port of Georgia is one of the biggest employers in Chatham County.  When I picked his mind about the ecological and recreational impacts on the river,  he admitted there would be consequences, but he reminded me of the ways the Port has attempted to be a ‘good neighbor’ to nature.  For example, the newest cranes will use less energy than the current ones, plants along the river have reduced their emissions, and technology advances have enabled the Port to regulate and better manage the flow of ships past the city.  I agreed in part – there is no way of getting past the fact that shipping is, and will be, a core element of Savannah’s economic aspirations.  I also agreed that without the improvements the city would be rendered uncompetitive.  I was less able to agree on the upbeat outlook he was selling for river ecology and recreational user opportunities.  The behemoth ships will mean bigger wakes and more erosion, degraded marshland, less room for recreational boaters (forget kayaking!!), and an overall reduction in physical and visual accessibility of the Savannah River.

I didn’t mind playing the fool in this case.  Click here to look at photos from my Port of Georgia Garden City Terminal cruise on April 10, 2010.