Wallenius Wilhelmsen opens its new Brunswick terminal

Written by Nick Blenkey
Georgia Ports president and CEO Griff Lynch (left) joins Wallenius Wilhelmsen executives for the ribbon cutting ceremony of Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s new 300 acre facility in the Port of Brunswick, Georgia.

Georgia Ports president and CEO Griff Lynch (left) joins Wallenius Wilhelmsen executives for the ribbon cutting ceremony of Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s new 300 acre facility in the Port of Brunswick, Georgia. [Photo: GPA]

In a January 21 ceremony, Wallenius Wilhelmsen executives hosted the official opening of the company’s newest global facility — its Brunswick, Ga., terminal, equipment processing center (EPC) and vehicle processing center (VPC).

The new hub consolidates the Oslo-based carrier’s Southeast U.S. port calls and marks 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.

“Brunswick, with its facilities and infrastructure investments, is well-positioned to accommodate further growth in the U.S.,” said John Fellito COO logistics services at Wallenius Wilhelmsen. “Our integrated offering at the terminal showcases our capabilities as an integrated logistics provider.”

“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 GPA president and CEO 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.”

The new facility creates a strategic U.S. hub for the export and import of autos that has scalability and 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,” said Georgia Ports CCO Flavio Batista.  “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.”

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-assisted 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.

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