Industrial Development Briefs: GPA, Agile Cold Storage, Propane Levac Inc.

GPA

Wallenius Wilhelmsen executives hosted the official opening of their newest global facility on Jan. 21, with customers, business partners, government leaders and employees, Georgia Ports recently announced.

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, Ga., 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.” 

“Georgia Ports has been an integral partner who listens and is easy to work with,” added Wallenius Wilhelmsen COO for Logistics Services John Felitto, citing an example of a 53-foot-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. 

According to Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the company’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.   

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, which are on order to replace aging and diesel forklifts, amongst other equipment. 

Wallenius Wilhelmsen employs 518 people in Georgia and 3,713 in the U.S.

Agile Cold Storage

Agile Cold Storage recently received its first railcar at its new cold storage facility in Macon, Ga., according to a Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) LinkedIn post.

G&W’s Georgia Central Railway (GC) will provide service to the facility, giving Agile Cold Storage access to the southeastern U.S. freight rail network.

Propane Levac Inc.

Propane Levac Inc. announced that the first railcar of 100% renewable propane to be broadly marketed in Canada arrived in Prescott, Onatrio, on Jan. 27. The historic event was held at the new state-of-the-art LGP Energy/Propane Levac Rail Terminal, which will be services by CN five times a week.

“We are incredibly excited to introduce renewable propane to a broad segment of the Canadian market,” said Propane Levac President Christian Levac. “This milestone is more than just the arrival of a product, it’s a step forward in our commitment to sustainability and providing clean energy solutions that can power homes, businesses, farms and industries across Ontario and Quebec.”

Renewable propane, a sustainable energy source derived from plant oils, used cooking oil, and agricultural waste, is set to “revolutionize the energy landscape by significantly reducing carbon emissions,” according to the company. “It works seamlessly with existing propane systems and appliances, offering the same reliability and builds on the already low emissions of conventional propane.”

Propane Levac’s introduction of renewable propane marks the first expanded commercial delivery of this cleaner energy in Canada.

“We believe it is our responsibility to provide our many customers with even lower emission energy,” said Levac. “By paving the way with the first commercial shipment of renewable propane dedicated to a variety of customers, we are making a difference and setting the stage for future innovations in clean energy. This is a journey, and we are committed to continuously seeking new ways to innovate and drive further emissions reductions.”

This effort demonstrates meaningful progress in the renewable energy landscape. Propane Levac says it “remains dedicated to increasing the availability of renewable propane and hopes to bring in more as supply grows.”

More information on the new terminal is available here.