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Georgia Ports Authority

The purpose of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), according to the agency's mission statement, is "to develop, maintain, and operate ocean and inland river ports within Georgia; foster international trade and new industry for state and local communities; promote Georgia's agricultural,

Savannah Port

industrial, and natural resources; and maintain the natural quality of the environment." The statement declares that the GPA promotes trade between Georgia and foreign nations and encourages the development and use of Georgia's agricultural, industrial, and natural resources while defending the quality of the natural environment. The GPA was created in 1945 by an act of the Georgia legislature in response to the economic boom of the post–World War II era. The state's two deep-water ports, Savannah and Brunswick, each had a long history of trade and commerce, but the creation of the GPA marked the beginning of their development by an official state agency.

In Savannah the GPA owns and operates the Garden City Terminal, which the GPA acquired in 1948 through the purchase of the former U.S. Quartermaster Depot. It is now a major container-operations facility that also handles bulk and general cargoes. Ocean Terminal, also in Savannah, was purchased from the Central of Georgia Railway in 1958. It is primarily a roll-on/roll-off (automobiles and wheeled equipment) terminal, although it also handles container business. From 2001 to 2004 the port of Savannah has been the nation's fastest growing port.

In 2002 archaeologists hired by the GPA discovered important colonial-era remains on the site of a planned expansion of the Savannah River facilities. The site, about four miles upriver from Savannah, was the location of a trading post established in 1732 by Mary Musgrove, a Creek Indian who played a crucial role in maintaining friendly relations between Native Americans and the settlers. Thorough archaeological fieldwork, conducted before the GPA began grading the site for a new container berth, produced thousands of artifacts ranging from the prehistoric period to the mid-1800s.

The GPA's Brunswick facilities comprise Mayor's Point Terminal, Colonel's Island Terminal, and Marine Port Terminals (also known as East River Terminal).

Brunswick Port

Mayor's Point Terminal is a general cargo site built by the GPA beginning in 1959 on land donated by the city of Brunswick and Glynn County. The authority bought Colonel's Island near Brunswick in 1962 and developed a terminal to handle dry bulk commodities. Colonel's Island Terminal is especially noted for its export and import shipments of automobiles. The GPA built Marine Port Terminals on property acquired in the area of the old city dock in 1982. Owned by the GPA, this bulk and general cargo facility is operated by a private company.

The GPA supports development of river transportation in the western part of the state through its barge facilities located at Bainbridge and Columbus. The Bainbridge Inland Barge Terminal, owned and operated by the GPA, is located on the Flint River, which, at its confluence with the Chattahoochee River, forms the Apalachicola River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Construction of the terminal began in 1957 on land deeded to the authority by the state. Liquid and dry bulk commodities pass through this site.

Farther up the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, the GPA built the Columbus Inland Barge Terminal on land deeded by the city of Columbus in 1961. Owned by the GPA, this terminal is operated by a private company. Liquid bulk commodities, such as petroleum products, petrochemicals, and crude oil, are handled there.

The GPA is governed by a board of directors consisting of thirteen members appointed by the governor for four-year staggered terms. Members are appointed from throughout the state and meet monthly. Administrative offices are located in Savannah.

Henry E. Barber, College of Coastal Georgia

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