Container Volumes Jump at Georgia Ports

zoomA vessel is loaded and unloaded at the Georgia Ports Authority Garden City Terminal near Savannah, Ga. U.S. East Coast port operator Georgia Ports Authority has reported a 6.2 percent increase in container volumes, up 74,754 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), for the fiscal year to date, from July to October. The port authority said it moved 1.27 million TEUs since July, adding that the units grew by 9,335 in October and reached a total of 321,094 TEUs, a 3 percent increase over the same period last year. Month over month container volume growth continues to outperform expectations, said Executive Director Curtis Foltz in his report during GPAs board meeting Monday. Inflated volumes in 2014 due to West Coast cargo diversions are beginning to return to normal levels. We are optimistic consumer spending in the U.S. during the upcoming holiday season will lead to volume growth going into 2016. Also during the November meeting, the authority approved USD 12.75 million in spending for a 63-acre expansion of the Port of Brunswicks vehicle storage area. The growing strength of the Southeastern U.S. market, combined with increased market share at Georgias deepwater ports, have required a steady increase in capacity in both Savannah and Brunswick, said Jim Walters, GPAs Chairman of the Board. Ongoing efforts to expand capacity at the Port of Savannah will bring the following projects online in 2016: a new truck gate, adding eight interchange lanes; four new ship-to-shore cranes; 30 new rubber-tired gantry cranes; and the Georgia Department of Transportations Jimmy Deloach Parkway that will provide a direct link between the port and Interstates 95 and 16.