Georgia Ports has launched its new expedited routing system for container ships accessing the Port of Savannah, engineered to enhance Savannah River navigation efficiency for vessels bound for Garden City Terminal.
Vessel departure and arrival schedules represent critical operational performance indicators for maritime carrier success across international fleet operations.
Multiple factors influence vessel scheduling including meteorological conditions, port bottlenecks, and cargo complications, making any schedule optimization highly valuable for vessel operators.
Georgia Ports’ lay berth solution allows incoming ships to temporarily moor at Ocean Terminal positioned adjacent to the primary Garden City Terminal before rapidly transitioning to an available Garden City Terminal berth upon another vessel’s departure.
This pre-positioning zone near the next available berth accelerates port discharge and loading procedures.
The CCNI Arauco will commence operations at 1900 hours Thursday, September 11, 2025. Without this lay berth capability, operations would have been delayed until 0700 hours Friday, September 12.
Griff Lynch, President and CEO of Georgia Ports, this lay berth facility, integrated with our eight-shift labor scheduling system, generates significant new opportunities for vessels to maintain schedules or recover lost time.
The lay berth capability enables GPA to accommodate two additional vessels weekly, enhancing berth capacity utilization.
The primary advantage of the lay berth system is the reduction of berth downtime from 12-15 hours to approximately three hours.
