A study of the Port of Georgetown by Genesis Consulting Group came with an extra benefit for the county: a list of hundreds of companies and shipping lines that the county could partner with, along with contract information.
The list was the most important information in the study to county officials, according to County Administrator Sel Hemingway. The rest of the information was what they expected.
Hemingway said the county will now try to work together with the South Carolina Ports Authority to market the port.
Genesis presented the study at the County Council meeting on Tuesday.
It found the port is “paying for itself,” is a “positive asset” to Georgetown County, and is one of the cheapest ports to operate along the East Coast.
All that adds up to the county getting a positive return on almost any investment.
According to Genesis, 1.8 millions tons of materials moved through the Port of Georgetown in 2000. That number decreased to 107,000 tons in 2009, in large part because of a drop in production at the steel mill.
The study outlined 11 industries the county could market the port for: biomasses, agricultural products, limestone, aggregates, recycled rubber products, lithium, salt, sugar, shredded steel, ship and boat repair, and wind products.
It also suggested the county partner with similar ports that are the same depth.
Genesis studied 17 ports around the world to compare to Georgetown, and its main recommendations were:
n Protect the land around the port from development that would hem it in;
n Consider building a drydock;
n Invest more money in marketing the port. Make it the focus of marketing efforts, not a secondary factor.
Genesis did not study dredging the port, or the effects that would have.
Currently, the depth of the channel to the Atlantic Ocean range from 20 to 24 feet. The target depth of a hoped-for dredging project would be at least 27 feet.
By Chris Sokoloski
csokoloski@gtowntimes.com