Savannah, Georgia Harbor
The Savannah Harbor in Georgia is the second busiest port on the East Coast of the United States and is part of the Georgia Ports Authority. During 2020, the port of Savannah was responsible for maneuvering 9.3% of the total containerized cargo volume in the United States, and handling 10.5% of all containerized exports from the continental United States.
The Challenge – How to deepen the channel to handle larger, higher volume vessels
Due to the heavy flow of marine traffic in this area, researchers concluded that deepening the channel would allow for larger and heavier shipping vessels to pass through, especially those traveling from the expanded Panama Canal passageway. In addition, this project would decrease the number of delays caused by tidal patterns. The ability to handle larger, and greater volumes of vessels would also increase the economic value of the port.
The six-and-a-half-year Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) started in September 2015 and ended in March 2022. It saw the depth of the harbor increase by 5 feet for a new total depth of 47 feet. The project included dredging over a 40-mile section of the Savannah River that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the port. In addition to the deepening of the waterway, environmental features such as stationing dissolved oxygen devices, re-routing the flow of freshwater, and protecting 2,245 acres of freshwater wetlands were incorporated into the SHEP.
The Solution
A tool that was vital to the success of this project was a 21-yard dredging bucket from Atlas-SSI. The dredging bucket was instrumental in the removal of over 9 million cubic yards of sediment materials from the waterway. The project included dredging over a 40-mile section of the Savannah River that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the port.
Results – A Deeper Channel With Environmental Benefits
The six-and-a-half-year Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) started in September 2015 and ended in March 2022. It saw the depth of the harbor increase by 5 feet for a new total depth of 47 feet. In addition to the deepening of the waterway, environmental features such as stationing dissolved oxygen devices, re-routing the flow of freshwater, and protecting 2,245 acres of freshwater wetlands were incorporated into the SHEP.
Let Atlas-SSI Solve Your Marine Dredging Challenges
Atlas-SSI builds and services a wide variety of dredging buckets that provide a high level of performance even under challenging conditions. Our dredging buckets are manufactured in the United States, and we also offer dredging bucket rental and rebuild services to help ensure that critical infrastructure projects remain on schedule.
