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Chamber holds first luncheon of the year
PTP lunch- GA Ports
Georgia Port Authority's General Manager of Economic and Industrial Development Stacy Watson talks at the Progress Through People luncheon. - photo by Lainey Standiford

At the monthly Progress through People luncheon, hosted by Liberty County Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by P.C. Simonton and Associates and Liberty County Development Authority, Georgia Port Authority’s General Manager of Economic and Industrial Development Stacy Watson presented the state of the ports for those in attendance.

Watson began with a brief description of the two more well-known terminals, the Garden City terminal and Ocean terminal, located under the Talmadge Bridge in Savannah. The GC terminal, otherwise known as the port of Savannah, brings in 85 percent of the revenue for GPA.

“We’ve gone from number 14 or 15 port in the United States,” Watson said. “As of right now, we’re number two on the east coast and number four in the United States.”

GPA has purchased a piece of land across the river from Ocean terminal, which they will soon begin developing, Watson said. The land is 200 acres that will be used for containers, he continued.

In calendar year 2018, GPA did about 4.3 million TEUs. TEUs stand for Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, Watson said. Shipping containers come in three different lengths, 20-feet, 40-feet, and 45-feet.

“One twenty-foot container is one TEU,” Watson said. “So a forty-foot container would be two TEUs. That’s the way ports measure, in TEU’s.” The port has seen nearly a 7.5 percent growth, according to Watson. Savannah has become such a target port, that when other ports lose freight, Savannah gains freight.

Savannah remains the single largest U.S. container port, with the longest continuous dock of any other port in the U.S. The GC container facility is over 1,200 acres, and is nowhere near capacity, he continued.

“Right now, we’re doing 4.3 million TEUs at the Garden City terminal,” Watson said. “We’re going to take this capacity up to 8 million TEUs. We could almost double the throughput of this terminal without buying another acre of land. We’ve got room to build and room to grow at this facility.”

An important task to achieve the 8 million TEU mark, Watson said, is the completion of the Savannah Harbor update. Currently, Savannah is the shallowest major container port in the world. At low tide, Savannah River measures only 42 feet deep, he said. With the 7.5 to 8-foot tide, the big ships can come in and out on high tide, but is a major speedbump.

“We’re taking the river down to 47 feet, and we’re about 50 percent complete with that project,” Watson said. “The 301 million is secured for state funding, and it’s about a 1 billion dollar project. We have a completion date of late 2021. It’s not over.”

Federal funding for fiscal year 2019 stands at $101 million, according to Watson. Each year, GPA approaches the federal government for appropriations to fund the harbor deepening. The estimated federal funding remaining, he continued, is about $205 million.

“The big reason for the support from the federal government, is that benefit to cost ratio,” Watson said. “For every one dollar that is spent on harbor deepening, there is a 7.3 dollar return. That’s a savings of about $282 million per year for the shippers. There is a huge payoff and dividend that will be realized after the harbor deepening.”

Another issue being considered, Watson continued, is the air draft space beneath the Talmadge Bridge. Currently, the large ships that come to port contain about 14,000 TEUs, but shippers are changing their methods and creating bigger ships to hold larger capacities and consolidate their fleets, he said.

Right now, the Talmadge Bridge has the smallest air draft, standing at 196-feet from the water to the bottom of the bridge. The NY/NJ port has an air draft of 215-feet and bigger, while Norfolk, Virginia, a harbor port, is unrestricted. Charleston comes in at 201-feet, Watson added, making Savannah the smallest.

According to the presentation, the GC terminal will be maximized with a new bridge. GPA is currently beginning an impact study, in partnership with Georgia Department of Transportation for keeping and replacing the current bridge.

A new initiative, called Network Georgia, builds a network of inland ports around the state, Watson said. Right now, GPA has a port in northwest Georgia, and there are plans to create at least two more ports, one in Gainesville and one in or near West Point, Georgia.

“Capital investment over the past 10 years has averaged about $1 billion,” he added. “We are not part of the state budget, we operate for a profit. No shareholders, no owners. The profits go back to operating revenue and into capital expenditure plans. Predicted capital investment over the next 10 years is $2.5 billion.”

The GC terminal expansion will be funded with the $2.5 billion. Some updates include: adding an additional 12 cranes to the terminal, totaling 42 cranes—which range from $10 to $12 million dollars apiece; refrigerated racks for containers; more container slots; expanding the gates; facilities relocation; and expanding their mega-rail system.

The GC terminal is expected to have completed expansion and able to accommodate eight million TEUs by 2028.

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3rd ID, Army, allies mourn four soldiers lost in accident
Farewell ceremony set for Thursday morning in Lithuanian capital
four soldiers

The four U.S. Army soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry found deceased near Pabradė, Lithuania have been identified.  

The Army has confirmed the four soldiers who died when their vehicle sank into a bog as Staff Sgt. Edvin Franco, 25, Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez, 25, PFC Dante Taitano, 21, and Staff Sgt. Troy Knutson-Collins, 28.

"First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our soldiers,” said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. “I can't say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies - and our own sailors, airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers - have enabled us to find and bring home our soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.” 

The four soldiers, who were the crew of a M88A2 armored recovery vehicle, went missing in the early morning hours of March 25. Their vehicle eventually was found March 26 but it was beneath approximately 14 feet of water and sunk into more than six feet of mud.

Crews worked to drain the area around the vehicle to make it stable for heavy equipment needed to pull out the M88. U.S. Navy divers were flown in and attached cables to hoist points so the submerged vehicle could be lifted out of the bog.

"This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier," said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd ID commanding general. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.” 

Knutson-Collins, Duenez Jr., and Franco were all posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.

Knutson-Collins was an artillery mechanic with over seven years in the Army. He arrived at Fort Stewart in February 2018 and was assigned to 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion.

Knutson-Collins graduated from the Army Basic Leader Course, the Advanced Leaders Course, the Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations course, and the Combat Lifesaver course. He deployed to Korea in 2020.

His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Master Technician Badge.

“Words cannot express how deeply this loss is felt by everyone in our unit,” said Capt. Jackson Patillo, commander, Foxtrot Company, 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion. “Staff Sgt. Troy Collins was an exceptional friend to all of us and an irreplaceable member to our entire Fox family that we will truly miss.”

“The pain we feel from this loss is insurmountable,” said Lt. Col. Erick Buckner, 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion commander. “Staff Sgt. Knutson-Collins was well loved throughout our unit and a brother to all. He was an expert, an incredibly talented mechanic and a warrior. We will never forget his dedication to his unit, his family and his country.”

“We are incredibly relieved that we were able to bring this recovery to an end and bring closure to all the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division, who also grew up on Fort Stewart. “We cannot thank our Allies and fellow service members enough, especially the Lithuanians, who spared no resource in support of this mission. Together, we delivered on our promise to never leave a fallen comrade.” 

Throughout the seven-day recovery effort, the combined and joint team worked day and night to find the soldiers. 

“As the fourth and final soldier has been recovered from this tragic accident, we will continue to mourn their loss as we work to quickly return our Dog Face Soldiers home to their families,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps and former Fort Stewart and 3rd ID commanding general. “It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers. Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. We are forever grateful.” 

All four soldiers were deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to provide credible ground deterrence alongside Allies and partners, and were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart. 

“I'm immensely proud of our entire team. They have been relentless in their efforts to search and recover our soldiers and get every capability and asset necessary to enable this effort,” Gen. Donahue said. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also posted on X his sorrow at the loss of the four soldiers.

“I want to personally extend my deepest condolences to the families of all four fallen soldiers,” he wrote. “Our hearts are heavy across the Department of Defense. We are deeply grateful to our brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts who labored alongside them. The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen. We will never forget these soldiers — and our prayers are with their families.”

A farewell ceremony for the soldiers will be held Thursday morning in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

“Every soldier is also a Lithuanian soldier, and their families’ pain is our pain,” said a statement from the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

The U.S. Army is investigating the cause of the accident. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. 

"We continue to stand by the families and loved ones through this incredibly difficult time,” said Maj. Gen. Norrie. “Now, it’s time to bring them home.” 

 

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