SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -
U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss met Tuesday with Acting U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank for a briefing on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project and a tour of the Port of Savannah.
Blank said, "95 percent of the world's customers live outside the U.S. borders and we need to compete with those customers because other nations are out there competing for our customers."
According to Blank, as ships get bigger and sea lanes get more crowded they need to make sure industries are able to transport more American good into the world. Senators Chambliss and Isakson feel deepening the Savannah Harbor will do just that.
"Between the Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta and the great Port of Savannah, we have two great transportation hubs of not just our country, but of our world," said Isakson.
Chambliss said, "Where we're seeing our real growth in the Port of Savannah is in our export business."
In fact, the Port of Savannah is the second busiest port in the country when it comes to exports and that's why federal officials like Blank are in favor of deepening the Savannah Harbor by up to 48 feet.
"The fact is, if a shipper has just one additional inch of clearance for his vessel he can load more goods," Blank said.
Resulting in more jobs and a big boost in the local, state and national economy.
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