Georgia Ports mark busiest month

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved outstanding January results, with double-digit growth across all business sectors and a 26 percent increase in total tonnage.
 
"The Port of Savannah is unrivaled in its connectivity into the heartland of the U.S. and the service excellence that port customers enjoy," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "With on-terminal efficiencies bolstered by interstates within minutes of the port and the fastest westward rail transit in the South Atlantic region, Garden City Terminal provides more reliable, more cost effective freight movement."
 
Lynch credited those supply chain efficiencies for the record 3 million tons of cargo GPA moved in January, up 623,504 tons compared to the same month a year ago.
 
Containerized trade saw strong growth, with 331,468 twenty-foot equivalent units crossing the docks at the Port of Savannah, up 16.2 percent, or 46,167 TEUs. Of that trade, loaded containers accounted for approximately 268,000 TEUs, also a record.
 
The increase in loaded containers contributed to an improvement in container tonnage of 22.1 percent (465,710 tons), for a total of 2.57 million tons for the month.
 
At the Port of Brunswick, bulk cargo more than doubled to 235,802 tons in January, an increase of 125,998 tons. Meanwhile, breakbulk cargo handled at Ocean Terminal in Savannah and at the Mayor's Point and Colonel's Island terminals in Brunswick grew by 17.7 percent to 211,575 tons, an increase of 31,796 tons.
 
Roll-on/Roll-off trade improved by 7 percent, with 52,778 units of cars, trucks and tractors moving across GPA docks in January, an increase of 3,389 vehicles compared to last year.
 
"The phenomenal growth at Georgia's ports speaks to the powerful, vibrant economy of Georgia and the Southeastern U.S.," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "As we continue to expand our transportation infrastructure through a deeper harbor, the largest crane fleet of any U.S. terminal, unmatched interstate connections and a mega-terminal for rail, you will see our ports continue to capture market share and bring new business to the state."

Georgia's deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 369,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $20.4 billion in income, $84.1 billion in revenue and $2.3 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia's economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8.2 percent of the U.S. containerized cargo volume and 10.3 percent of all U.S. containerized exports in CY2015.