Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association and the newly formed stevedoring operation Gateway Terminals handle their first container together, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, at Garden City Terminal in Savannah, Ga. (GPA Photo / Stephen B. Morton)

Joint venture stevedoring company streamlines service

On Monday at the Port of Savannah, representatives from Gateway Terminals, the International Longshoremen’s Association and the Georgia Ports Authority joined to mark the first container moved under the direction of Gateway, a new joint venture company combining locally the three legacies of Ports America, Ceres Marine Terminals, and SSA Atlantic.

“This is an exciting opportunity to coordinate and bring together three great companies and a best-of-class ILA operation into a world-class team,” said Kevin Price, president of Gateway Terminals. “Bringing together three organizations under one umbrella provides a compelling opportunity for growth, especially in light of the tremendous increase in demand for services from Georgia Ports.”

Ports America, Ceres Marine Terminals, and SSA Atlantic have consolidated container terminal, truck gate and stevedoring services under Gateway Terminals to streamline their activities.

“At the Port of Savannah, the hardworking men and women of the International Longshoremen’s Association work hand-in-hand with our stevedores and the Georgia Ports Authority to make sure our customers receive world-class service,” said Willie Seymore, executive vice president for the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast division of the ILA. “We’re excited to collaborate with Gateway Terminals at the start of this new era of port operations.”

In part, Gateway will manage the operation of loading and unloading vessels, including hiring longshoremen crews on behalf of the shipping lines, planning vessel stowage and overseeing cargo handling safety. The Port of Savannah serves 36 vessels per week and averages 14,000 truck moves per day.

“Benefits for port customers include integrated operations across all berths, providing the ability to turn more ships and move more cargo,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “This improved efficiency and collaboration is coming at the perfect time, in light of the sustained increase in cargo volumes over the past year and a half.”

Already the third busiest U.S. port complex, Garden City Terminal has the potential to significantly increase throughput as a result of the consolidation.

“We look forward to assisting Gateway’s efforts in this important transition,” said Ed McCarthy, chief operating officer at GPA. “Unified stevedoring services will help maximize flexibility and bring together a world-class operating team at the nation’s single largest container terminal.”

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 496,700 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $29 billion in income, $122 billion in revenue and $3.4 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 9.3 percent of total U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10.5 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in FY2020.