The East Coast port wars ratcheted up Tuesday with an announcement by South Carolina officials that they hope to deepen the port of Charleston to 52 feet.
Meanwhile, Georgia officials will today finalize long-sought plans to deepen the port of Savannah to 47 feet in hopes of corralling more of the ever-larger container ships that make global trade go ‘round.
Savannah and Charleston have fought for more than a decade to lure shipping lines and distribution centers to their ports. Savannah has the upper hand, landing more than 3 million shipping containers last year and cementing its position as the No. 2 container port on the East Coast.
Charleston handled 1.7 million containers last year and ranks No. 4 on the East Coast.
Curtis Foltz, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, downplayed any intra-port rivalry.
“All of our ports need deeper water. If Charleston can get 52 feet, that’s a good thing,” he said. “If they are successful getting 52 feet and getting it as quickly as they say they can, then that’s good for our industry.”
But there are no guarantees with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which undertook nearly two decades of research before allowing Georgia to deepen the Savannah harbor and river by five feet. Gov. Nathan Deal, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed are expected today to celebrate the $706 million deepening project during a ceremony in Locust Grove.
The corps in Charleston recommended Tuesday that Charleston’s main shipping lanes be deepened seven feet, to a depth of 52 feet, to handle the so-called post-Panamax vessels that increasingly ply the world’s trade lanes. The proposed $509 million project is significantly costlier than an earlier $350 million estimate.
The corps expects a final feasibility report next September. Pre-construction engineering and environmental reports would take another two years with construction scheduled for completion possibly by 2022.
“Completion of our harbor deepening project to 52 feet ensures that (Charleston) will continue to grow above the market average and remain a top ten port, facilitating trade and economic development for our entire state, region and nation,” Jim Newsome, president of the S.C. Ports Authority, said in a statement.
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