SAVANNAH, Ga. – Seaboard Marine has announced the return of direct, weekly service to and from Savannah, Georgia, to strengthen supply chains across the U.S. Southeast, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The Georgia Ports Authority made the announcement via press release on Thursday.
“With the return of Savannah calls, Seaboard Marine continues to invest in new vessels, strategic routes, stronger connections, and dependable service,” Piero Buitano, Senior Vice President, said. “We are providing importers and exporters across the Southeast with improved transit times, greater schedule integrity, and the reliability they need to grow their businesses. Seaboard Marine remains focused on strengthening its supply chains and delivering value to the customers and communities it serves.”
The release stated that the first northbound sailing arrived in Savannah on January 7, after departing from Colombia with stops in Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and Rio Haina, Dominican Republic.
The first southbound sailing will be January 14, marking the official start of direct, weekly departures and arrivals, which will create dependable, end-to-end connectivity to key Caribbean and Latin American markets.
This service delivers benefits for both importers and exporters: Weekly Wednesday arrivals and departures in Savannah, improved access to Colombia and the Caribbean, competitive transit times and schedule reliability with transshipment to West Coast South America services.
“Seaboard Marine’s weekly Savannah calls will add new cold chain options to our customers’ Latin America and Caribbean supply chain competitiveness,” Georgia Ports Chief Commercial Officer Flavio Batista said. “Connections to West Coast of South America relay services will also create more business opportunities.”
“To better serve our fresh produce customers, we’re investing in new on-terminal refrigerated services. This Spring, Georgia Ports will open a new $44 million U.S. Customs exam site on Garden City Terminal. The new facility will have specialized services designed for cold chains to ensure temperature controls, cleanliness, ventilation and high-quality outturns to ensure freshness with the clearance and inspection process,” added Mr. Batista.
Georgia Ports expanded refrigerated service offerings will include: On-terminal CBP/Agricultural inspections performed in a temperature-controlled environment for fresh produce; direct discharge from vessel to Customs Exam Site for inspection staging, reducing dwell time and accelerating the cargo release process; multi-room, multi-temperature inspection zones designed to accommodate a wide range of produce; two dedicated fresh produce inspection doors, supporting up to 14-16 inspections per day, with the ability to expand over time and the ability to handle palletized perishable cargo quickly and efficiently for CBP inspections.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
