BRUNSWICK, Ga., — The Georgia Ports has a new occupant.
A recent media release reported that Wallenius Wilhelmsen executives hosted the official opening of their newest global facility this week with customers, business partners, government leaders and employees.
According to the release the new facility represents a southeast U.S. hub for the Oslo-based carrier who has consolidated Southeast port calls in Brunswick. The consolidation represents a move from an 85 acre Equipment Processing Center site in Pooler, Georgia and port calls in Ocean Terminal, Savannah to the new, customized 300 acre Brunswick facility.
“This is a world-class facility and I am very impressed by what we have managed to achieve together with our partner GPA,” said Lasse Kristoffersen, President and CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Wallenius Wilhelmsen is one of the largest RoRo carriers in the world and we want to thank Lasse Kristoffersen, John Felitto and Mike Derby for their decision to invest their future business model in Brunswick. This new facility will be an economic development engine for Glynn County, the Peach State and the Southeast. We wanted to build a facility designed for WW to suit their long-term growth needs,” said Griff Lynch. Holding a football on stage as a metaphor, he said “One of the most critical plays in football is the handoff. We’re making the handoff today to you on this special day and wish you and your customers success in the years ahead.”
Wallenius Wilhelmsen COO for Logistics Services John Felitto added “Georgia Ports has been an integral partner who listens and is easy to work with,” citing an example of a 53’ wide road design necessary for the oversized RoRo equipment the facility will handle.
The new facility creates a strategic U.S. hub for the export and import of autos that has scalability, agility along with an Equipment Processing Center (EPC) onsite for heavy equipment export and import.
“Every heavy machinery customer would like to have finish to order (FTO) activities close to the port to reduce costs, improve delivery velocity to customers and access to global markets. At Colonel’s Island, they’re able to perform last mile manufacturing activities inside the port with all the processing and buildings on the terminal to perform their FTO customization work,” commented Flavio Batista, Georgia Ports’ Chief Commercial Officer.
Strategic vision
Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s strategic vision for Brunswick is to consolidate the company’s South Atlantic operations, creating a hub, to foster continued growth in the region. The business model is to develop the company’s end-to-end services that connect ocean transportation, terminal handling, processing and inland transportation, creating sustainable logistics.
Sustainable design
The Brunswick terminal will be able to accommodate all the vessels in the Wallenius Wilhelmsen fleet, including the Shaper class vessels and the Tirranna wind-propulsion vessel. The new cargo handling equipment will also be sustainable, like EV trucks and forklifts. Currently, there are 29 chargers on the terminal for yard vehicles, shuttle vans and trucks. The plan is to improve several of the level 2 chargers to level 3. 42 EV forklifts are on order to replace aging and diesel forklifts, amongst other equipment.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen employs 518 people in Georgia and 3713 in the US.
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.
