RIDGELAND, S.C. - Jasper County has renewed its efforts to build a $450 million deep water port on the Savannah River.

The County Council said Friday it had reached agreements on loans, development and management with a subsidiary of private port developer SSA Marine giving the Seattle-based company exclusive rights in the project.

The county also is offering $9.2 million to buy land for the port from the Georgia Transportation Department.

In September 2003, the state Supreme Court shot down the county's effort to condemn the 1,776 acres owned by the state of Georgia and used as a dump for material dredged from the Savannah River.

The court ruled the condemnation did not meet required public use, because a private company would ultimately own the land.

On Friday, the county gave initial approval to a measure to own the port property. "The old agreement was essentially a lease, now the county is acquiring the land and developing a public port," county attorney Marvin Jones said.

County Administrator Andrew Fulghum said his staff is prepared to make a $9.2 million offer to buy the port site from Georgia. If a settlement with the Georgia Transportation Department cannot be reached, town officials will take their case back to the state Supreme Court.

"If they don't want to sell it, there will be a lawsuit very soon," Councilwoman Gladys Jones said.