Georgia Ports officially welcomed the first container vessels entering the Port of Savannah using the lay berth option, a new fast track routing process that saves hours on a vessels schedule.
The lay berth option allows inbound ships to temporarily dock at Ocen Terminal, nearby to Garden City Terminal, then quickly move into a berth a Garden City as soon as another ship departs. Officials said the pre-staging area near the next open berth allows ships to accelerate port discharge and loading operations.
“This lay berth, combined with our eight start times for ship labor, creates exciting new possibilities for ships to stay on schedule or make up time. We want to thank Maersk for their leadership as the first customer to use it. This is a gamechanger for GPA and our BCOs (beneficial cargo owners) who will benefit greatly with it,” Griff Lynch, President and CEO of Georga Ports, said.
The CCNI Arauco – a Maersk Gemini Service vessel started work at 1900 hrs on Sept. 11. If the lay berth option were not available, officials said, the ship would have started operations at 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12. The lay berth option allows the Georgia Port Authority to work two more ships per week, increasing berth utilization, and reducing in berth idle time from 12 to 15 hours down to three.