THE Georgia Ports Authority handled a record-breaking 350,104 TEU in May, up 11.68 per cent compared to the same month a year ago. The achievement was attributed to larger vessels and additional container services calling at Georgia's ports.
"It's evident shipping lines are deploying larger vessels and cargo exchanges through the Panama Canal to Georgia's ports," GPA executive director Griff Lynch was quoted as saying in a report by American Journal of Transportation.
"This is a strong indicator that an important market share shift to Georgia is possible through recently restructured shipping services."
There were 1,676 vessel calls at the Garden City Terminal between July 2016 and May 2017 of which 454 transited the expanded Panama Canal. This led to a 16 per cent rise in volume during that 11-month period via the Panama Canal at Garden City Terminal.
Mr Lynch said the recent calls of 13,000-plus TEU vessels - the COSCO Development and OOCL France - indicate how efficiently larger vessels are served by the GPA. He pointed out that the containerships play to the strengths of Garden City's single terminal operation, which include a 1,200-acre complex, 26 ship-to-shore cranes, nine container berths and on-terminal service by two Class I rail providers.
"The GPA's continued on-terminal investment along with the state of Georgia's off-terminal improvements will allow GPA to serve vessels well beyond 13,000 TEU," added GPA board chairman Jimmy Allgood.
Since shipping lines realigned on April 1 to form mega alliances, 35 weekly container services call at Garden City Terminal, more than any other port on the US east coast.
