The vagaries of the global shipping trade are again poised to affect Atlanta’s second major trade port, the seaport in Savannah.

Last month, the concern was construction delays at the Panama Canal. This month, it’s the question of how the Savannah port will factor into a proposed alliance of shipping companies that would control up to 40 percent of the world’s major oceanic transport.

All these events are routine business ventures compared to the state’s decision on how to proceed with the deepening of the Savannah harbor – despite the decision by the Obama White House not to provide federal funding for the project.

The planned alliance of three shipping companies could end up making Savannah’s port busier than it is today. It all depends on the outcome of the proposed alliance that won approval March 20 from the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission chooses to process cargo through Savannah.

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