The Georgia Ports Authority announced that its terminals in Brunswick and Savannah moved a combined 2.79 million tons of freight in October 2014—a record for the authority.
“Strong growth across all key sectors of our business is an indication that our ports are reaching a larger and more diverse customer base,” said Curtis Foltz, GPA executive director.
For the fiscal year to date, the GPA has moved 10.28 million tons, up 7.2% or 694,045 tons.
Savannah’s Garden City Terminal handled a record 311,759 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) in October, a 13.6% increase (37,432 TEUs) compared with the same month in 2013. For the fiscal year to date, the GPA has moved 1.2 million TEUs, an increase of 13.1%, or 138,554 TEUs, over the same period in 2013.
Other records set in October include the highest number of truck gate moves at Garden City Terminal (213,445), and the most containers moved via intermodal rail (31,238). The Port of Savannah’s on-terminal rail yards are served by two Class I rail providers: CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.
“GPA’s ability to handle record volumes with speed and efficiency is a powerful tool for economic development in the southeastern United States,” said James Walters, GPA board chairman. “In order to accommodate continued growth, we are taking proactive steps to increase our capacity from 4.5 million TEUs per year to 6.5 million.”
At a recent board meeting, the GPA approved construction of Gate 8, a $10.2 million project that will serve as the third major truck interchange at Garden City Terminal. Infrastructure design and planning for the new gate are currently in final draft. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.
Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 352,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $18.5 billion in income, $66.9 billion in revenue, and $2.5 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8% of US containerized cargo volume and 10.9% of all US containerized exports in FY2013.
For more information, go to www.gaports.com.
