The port of Georgetown needs at least $8.3 million in federal funds to dredge the shipping channel, or the vital channel could remain clogged.
This is according to new information from Joe Bryant, vice president of Terminal Development for the S.C. Ports Authority.
The port hasn’t received proper funding in the past six years for dredging and officials aren’t sure when any new money will arrive.
“It’s a three-year process, but if we could get started then that would buy the port some relief as far as the customers,’’ Bryant said Tuesday, after speaking with members of the Georgetown Business Association.
Gov. Mark Sanford, who stopped by the port Tuesday afternoon, said the money could be allocated in the next fiscal year.
He said Georgetown citizens should “make noise’’ in order to get the attention of people in Congress.
There is a port here and it is one of the points of competitive advantage in Georgetown,” Sanford said.
He said the fact that the port is turning to exporting, rather than importing, is also good news.
“It’s product out and dollars in,’’ Sanford said.
Hanging on
If dredging is done, the shipping channel could be brought back to the required depth of 27 feet, Bryant said.
Because the port has not received the dredging it needs in the past six years, the vital shipping channel leading to Georgetown is in danger of closing off, according to port officials.
“There is business out there, but we have a dredging issue here,’’ Bryant said.
“The Port Authority is willing to kick in some money, if we get some federal money.’’
Recent appropriations
The U.S. House approved $1.1 million recently for Georgetown maintenance dredging, but approved at least $10.1 million for dredging in the Port of Charleston.
About $7 million more is needed for dredging in Georgetown, Bryant said.
Over the three-year process, about $30 million is needed to get the port back in good repair, he said.
Congressman Jim Clyburn has been asked to look into the recent dredging problems, Bryant said.
Congressman Henry Brown recently helped get the recent $1.1 million for dredging.
Officials don’t know when more money will be received.
The $1.1 million is only enough to bring a dredge to Georgetown, but is not enough to do the work and maintain the disposal sites.
About 1.5 million cubic yards of material needs to be removed from the shipping channel, Bryant said.
The only disposal site that is now ready to take on more spoils can only take about 700,000 cubic yards of the material, Bryant said.
Other disposal sites need much more maintenance, such as drying and dikes raised, before they can handle sludge that should be removed in the dredging process.
“We just need to get caught up on the disposal sites we have,’’ Bryant said. “You have to dig ditches and dry the material and then you build the dikes.’’
Deeper channels
The shipping channel needs more depth to handle the large cargo ships asking to come to Georgetown, said Port Director David Schronce said.
The depth of the channel, in some areas, is now only 22 feet.
Carolina-Pacific, a company that makes wood chip briquettes, is using smaller ships to get into Georgetown, until they can get the depth they need to grow their tonnage, Schronce said.
Four companies who have pending contracts to ship their product out of the Port of Georgetown could mean about 4.4 million tons of cargo, Schronce said.
The federal government considers a port with at least one million tons of cargo to be qualified to receive more money for dredging.
The tonnage needed to get the funding is out there, but the dredging needs to be done before the larger boats can bring their business to Georgetown.
“It will create 128 jobs on the waterfront,’’ Schronce said. “But we have to get that water.’’
Cruise ships? : 11/5/2009
I heard someone in the bank the other day suggest we get a cruise line to buy the steel mill property knock down the mill and put in a cruise ship terminal. I thought it was a great idea, but how deep would our channel have to be for ships of that size? Our port is one of our greatest economic assets- our elected officials should be doing everything humanly possibly to attract businesses to our port. City/county councils- Mayor and administrators-Representatives/Congress members GET TO WORK Do what WE The people Elected you to do, PLEASE We needs real jobs in GEorgetown not low paying Big box store jobs. We need to find our own "Boeing" to bring to town -whoever they may be.
: 11/5/2009
Did someone tell the Governor the citizens have been making noise about the lack of attention for the Port? However, here in this community there is still a few people that label people as being radical instead of addressing the issue. I was surprised to hear the Governor make that comment about citizens needing to make noise. Harry Butler isn't communicating the concerns being expressed to the SPA Board. Remind us all the role of SPA member Harry Butler and ex-Chairman of the SPA in representing our district.