GPA adds cold storage capacity

The Georgia Ports Authority board earlier this week approved a $5.85 million expenditure for 20 new refrigerated container racks at its Garden City Terminal.

   The Georgia Ports Authority board earlier this week approved $5.85 million for 20 new refrigerated container racks at Garden City Terminal to handle an increase in demand from the cold storage market.
   “Increased on- and off-terminal capacity gives customers more options for moving refrigerated commodities to and from international markets,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz in a statement. “This additional infrastructure will strengthen Savannah’s position as the premier East Coast facility for refrigerated exports.”
   With the new racks, GPA will increase its reefer rack slots by 480, for a total of 2,496 — a 28 percent increase. Counting 600 chassis plug-ins, Savannah’s total capacity will grow to 3,096 refrigerated boxes, the port authority said.
   The Port of Savannah handles nearly 40 percent of the nation’s containerized poultry exports.
   “Refrigerated container racks have greatly increased the efficiency of frozen cargo handling at the Port of Savannah, making the operation much cleaner for the environment. Previously, diesel generators were used to power refrigerated containers in tandem with wheeled parking spots with electrical hookups. Today, for every 10 racks placed into service, the GPA avoids the use of about 540,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually, which would have been used to power diesel generators,” GPA explained.
   “Savannah’s additional racks will allow us to meet customer demands, as increases in exports are expected as poultry consumption worldwide continues to grow, while an increase in frozen imports is anticipated with the expansion of the Panama Canal,” said Ross Maple, director of business strategy for Nordic Cold Storage. 
   Nordic Cold Storage opened a 200,000-square-foot blast freezing and cold storage facility at the port in 2013, and plans phase two of its expansion with more than 8 million cubic feet of cold storage.