Island man named to head proposed Jasper port agency

GARDEN CITY, Ga. -- With the economy battering the container industry and decreasing traffic at ports around the country, it could be 15 years before demand is strong enough to garner permits for the proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal, engineers studying the feasibility of the project said Friday.
Representatives from the Moffatt and Nichol engineering firm said it also could take 15 years to complete environmental and economic studies and develop an adaptable, working plan for the 1,518-acre, deep-water container port.
The port would be located on the Jasper County side of the Savannah River and owned and managed jointly by South Carolina and Georgia. To get the permits, project officials would have to show a demand for a container port at that location, situated between established shipping terminals in Charleston and Savannah.
Engineers said market studies show 2024 as the year when it would be most economically viable to build. The assessment was part of a report they presented to the six-member Jasper Ocean Terminal Joint Project Office board of directors at its Friday meeting.
"When does what we have fall short of what we need?" said Bob Bennett, program manager of Moffatt and Nichol, the engineering firm hired by the board in October to conduct preliminary studies, planning and analyses. "2024 is when demand will start to show."
State Sen. Tom Davis said he heard the same argument Tuesday in Columbia at a meeting of the Savannah River Maritime Commission.
The Beaufort Republican was a key negotiator in the intergovernmental port agreement signed in November 2007.
"2024 is ridiculous," said Davis, who did not attend Friday's meeting. "They're taking that position, but how does that square with the fact that the private marketplace is willing right now to lease that Jasper port site and put $1 billion into that terminal today? That is an indicator of market feasibility."
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