GPA’s container volume growth passes expectations
Curtis Foltz, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) executive director, reported 8% growth in containerized trade in February 2016, compared with the same month a year ago.
“Our container volume growth continues to exceed our expectations in light of last year’s unprecedented cargo diversions from the West Coast,” said Foltz. “Efficient access to market, proximity to major Southeast populations, and GPA’s ability to quickly expand on-terminal container capacity are a few of the reasons for Savannah’s continued success.”
In February, Garden City Terminal moved 307,035 twenty-foot equivalent container units, an increase of 8.1%, or 22,998 TEUs, versus the same month in 2015. In contrast to 2014, GPA moved 23% more containerized cargo in February.
Total freight for February equaled 2.67 million tons across all cargo sectors, an improvement of 3.9%, or 100,495 tons. It was the seventh-highest monthly performance ever recorded. Of the total, containerized trade accounted for 2.18 million tons, up 8.7%, or 175,184 tons.
James Walters, GPA board chairman, noted the Port of Savannah is the third-busiest in the nation for exporting containerized goods, behind only Houston and Los Angeles.
“Last year, Savannah moved nearly 11.8 million tons of containerized exports,” said Walters. “One out of every 10 tons of containerized US exports went through Georgia’s ports. Georgia’s deepwater ports in Savannah and Brunswick have become international cargo hubs, as well as excellent job generators for manufacturers throughout Georgia and the Southeast. Our ports support more than 369,000 jobs in Georgia, and more throughout this great country.”
Georgia’s 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’s economy. The Port of Savannah handled 8% of the US containerized cargo volume and 11% of all US containerized exports in calendar year 2014.
For more information, go to www.gaports.com.