THE Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) posted an 8.4 per cent year-on-year increase in container throughput in fiscal 2018 to achieve a record-breaking 4.2 million TEU.
'Moving more than four million TEU in a single fiscal year is an important milestone for Georgia,' said GPA executive director Griff Lynch.
'Georgia's logistical advantages, along with the southeast's population growth, have resulted in increased demand, while the expanded Panama Canal has cleared the way for larger vessels to call Savannah.'
This was also the busiest June ever, the Port of Savannah handled 370,725 TEU, up 9.8 per cent year on year.
Said GPA chairman Jimmy Allgood: 'Outstanding effort from our employees, the International Longshoremen's Association, trucking and rail personnel made it possible to achieve record results. I cannot say enough about the partnership and can-do spirit of the Georgia maritime community.'
Said Mr Lynch: 'The market's increasing recognition of Georgia as a rail hub for east coast container trade reinforces our determination to double Savannah's on-terminal rail lift capacity. The port is poised to capture new rail cargo across the state, the southeast and well into the Midwest.'
At its recent meeting, the GPA board approved construction of an US$8.8 million overpass, part of the $127 million Mason Mega Rail project that, upon completion, will allow 10,000-foot unit trains to be built on terminal. This, along with other improvements, will increase Savannah's annual rail lift capacity to one million containers by 2020, thereby cutting transit time to markets such as Memphis, St Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati by 24 hours.
In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port, an inland rail terminal that will take 50,000 trucks off Georgia highways. Removing the need for a 710-mile roundtrip via truck, the ARP will improve container availability and reduce transportation costs for port customers in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
'Moving more than four million TEU in a single fiscal year is an important milestone for Georgia,' said GPA executive director Griff Lynch.
'Georgia's logistical advantages, along with the southeast's population growth, have resulted in increased demand, while the expanded Panama Canal has cleared the way for larger vessels to call Savannah.'
This was also the busiest June ever, the Port of Savannah handled 370,725 TEU, up 9.8 per cent year on year.
Said GPA chairman Jimmy Allgood: 'Outstanding effort from our employees, the International Longshoremen's Association, trucking and rail personnel made it possible to achieve record results. I cannot say enough about the partnership and can-do spirit of the Georgia maritime community.'
Said Mr Lynch: 'The market's increasing recognition of Georgia as a rail hub for east coast container trade reinforces our determination to double Savannah's on-terminal rail lift capacity. The port is poised to capture new rail cargo across the state, the southeast and well into the Midwest.'
At its recent meeting, the GPA board approved construction of an US$8.8 million overpass, part of the $127 million Mason Mega Rail project that, upon completion, will allow 10,000-foot unit trains to be built on terminal. This, along with other improvements, will increase Savannah's annual rail lift capacity to one million containers by 2020, thereby cutting transit time to markets such as Memphis, St Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati by 24 hours.
In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port, an inland rail terminal that will take 50,000 trucks off Georgia highways. Removing the need for a 710-mile roundtrip via truck, the ARP will improve container availability and reduce transportation costs for port customers in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.