Seaboard Marine Launches New Savannah-Central America Route Time-sensitive cargo to include cold-treated produce, seasonal apparel The Seaboard Marine vessel, Atlantic, made its maiden voyage to the Port of Savannah Wednesday, May 8, 2019. The new Seaboard Marine service strengthens the Port of Savannah in its role as a chilled produce gateway. SEABOARD MARINE IS NOW SERVING the Port of Savannah. The new shipping line customer supports Savannah’s cold chain logistics system with one new ser- vice to Central America, and a second to Latin America and the Caribbean. “In addition to serving Georgia’s poultry growers, Seaboard is tapping into an expanding market for fresh produce imports via Garden City Terminal,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. “This is further proof that customers and carriers are discovering Savannah’s competitive advantages for chilled cargo.” The ocean carrier’s first service to Savannah links the Southeastern U.S. to northern Central America, with Georgia exports centered on frozen poultry and imports composed largely of perishables and apparel produced in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. Routing perishable goods through Savannah to serve the U.S. Southeast means produce reaches stores five to seven days sooner, for improved shelf 26 ANCHORAGE SUMMER 2019 life and product quality. Georgia’s central location means shorter overland routes to inland markets, allowing time-sensitive cargo to reach stores in less time, and at lower cost. The chilled imports perfectly comple- ment Georgia’s frozen poultry export market, increasing efficiency for GPA’s shipping line partners. The initial Seaboard Marine service to Savannah, which started in May, features two vessels in a direct, all-water route, for an increase of 20,000 TEUs per year to Garden City Terminal’s total vessel inventory. “The new North Central American ser- vice and the addition of Port of Savannah is an ideal gateway,” said Jose Concep- cion, Seaboard Marine vice president for Central America. “We are excited about the opportunity to connect our brand of premium service forged over our 35- year history in Central America to this new domestic port.” In June, Seaboard Marine began of- fering a second weekly service for both northbound and southbound cargoes between Savannah and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru), South Central America (Costa Rica and Pana- ma), and the Caribbean (Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, the Domin- ican Republic, Grand Cayman, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Suriname and Trinidad). For this service, frozen poultry exports also forms the basis of the southbound trade, with chilled produce imports northbound. “We are pleased to offer shippers fast and reliable service between Savannah and Latin America,” said Piero Buita- no, Seaboard Marine vice president for South America. “Adding Savannah to the company’s service network not only en- hances our ability to support customers with new and convenient transportation opportunities to key countries in South America, but also introduces our ex- traordinary level of customer service to a broader customer base.” The new services bring Savannah’s weekly vessel calls to 37. This is equal to New York-New Jersey, for the most services on the U.S. East Coast. “With increased exposure to these markets, the Port of Savannah is poised to become the gateway to South and Central America, providing new opportu- nities for trade to importers and export- ers alike,” Lynch said.
