The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is dredging Georgia Ports’ Port of Brunswick’s inner and outer harbor to return the channel to its authorized depth.
“This is terrific news for our customers, who rely on the Port of Brunswick to serve the fast-growing Southeast market,” Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch said. “Deeper water will mean increased vessel transit efficiency at America’s premier auto port.”
The Port of Brunswick is the top U.S. Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) port for automotive and machinery logistics. Dredging the channel will allow larger vessels to transit the channel without having to wait for high tide, eventually lowering costs for auto manufacturers and consumers.
RoRo ships are becoming larger, enabling carriers to move more cargo in fewer trips. It is now common for new vessels to have a capacity of 4,000 to 8,000 car equivalent units (CEUs) and vessels up to 10,000 CEUs are expected to serve the U.S. East Coast in the future.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts annual maintenance dredging for the waterway to address shoaling and other natural processes common to harbors. Dredging is expected to finish in March with additional work to be completed during the summer.
The Corps will determine the feasibility of deepening and widening Savannah Harbor.