{"id":579,"date":"2017-03-20T12:05:42","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T17:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awlcorp.com\/?p=579"},"modified":"2017-03-20T12:05:42","modified_gmt":"2017-03-20T17:05:42","slug":"gpa-marks-double-digit-growth-total-cargo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awlcorp.com\/?p=579","title":{"rendered":"GPA MARKS DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH IN TOTAL CARGO"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"GPA<\/div>\n

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CONTAINER TONS SURGE MORE THAN 14 PERCENT\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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In February, the Port of Savannah moved 330,539 twenty-foot equivalent container units. Find print quality images <\/b>here<\/b><\/a>. (Georgia Ports Authority \/ Stephen B. Morton)<\/b><\/p>\n

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\n<\/b>Savannah, Ga. \u2013 March 20, 2017 \u2013<\/b>The Georgia Ports Authority saw its busiest February ever for total cargo, moving 2.94 million tons across all docks last month \u2013 a 10 percent increase over February 2016, and second only to January\u2019s 3.01 million tons.<\/p>\n

Container tonnage was a leading factor in the growth, expanding by 14.4 percent (314,832 tons) to more than 2.5 million tons for the month. Measured in twenty-foot equivalent units, containerized trade grew by 7.7 percent to reach 330,539 TEUs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOcean carriers have recognized the Port of Savannah as the must-call port to serve the Southeastern U.S.,\u201d GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch reported to the Authority Board Monday. \u201cWith the coming realignment of the shipping alliances in April, Savannah will offer more container services than any other East Coast or Gulf port, at 35 weekly vessel calls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lynch said Savannah\u2019s Ocean Terminal also achieved significant growth in February, with a 9.2 percent increase in breakbulk cargo for the month, led by linerboard, iron and steel, and autos.<\/p>\n

\u201cA 38 percent increase in iron and steel is a good leading indicator of future growth in construction, as well as automobile and other manufacturing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the ports chief noted that this week Garden City Terminal in Savannah will commission a new Neo-Panamax ship-to-shore crane, with three more set to come online by mid-April. A separate, $45.3 million order will bring four more cranes to the terminal in 2018, for a total of 30.<\/p>\n

These cranes are necessary to serve the larger vessels calling on Savannah. In the six months prior to the late June 2016 opening of the expanded Panama Canal, Garden City Terminal had hosted no vessels with a capacity of 10,000 or more TEUs. From July through December 2016, the Port of Savannah received 31 calls from 10,000+ TEU vessels \u2013 matched only by Norfolk and New York-New Jersey on the U.S. East Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs our business expands, we are investing in the infrastructure that supports that growth so that we can continue to fulfill our mission of supporting American exports and bringing new industry to Georgia,\u201d said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood.<\/p>\n

In other business, the GPA Board approved a power grid upgrade to provide greater resiliency and capacity for electric-powered equipment at Garden City Terminal. Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy said the Port of Savannah\u2019s continuing shift away from diesel saves the authority millions of dollars annually in energy costs and avoids tons of diesel emissions.<\/p>\n

Find print-quality images of port operations <\/i>here<\/i><\/a>. Georgia\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/i><\/p>\n

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or <\/b>rmorris@gaports.com<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n