Savannah container trade up 12 percent in September 2018
The Georgia Ports Authority achieved a 12 percent increase in containerized trade at the Port of Savannah in September, along with a 37.6 percent increase in roll-on/roll-off trade at the Port of Brunswick, the company said in its press release.
Marking 23 consecutive months of growth, the Port of Savannah handled 364,090 twenty-foot equivalent container units last month, an increase of nearly 39,000 TEUs over September 2017. GPA ended the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2019 (July-September) with 1.1 million TEUs handled. The performance was good for 10.8 percent growth (109,164 TEUs) compared to the first quarter of FY2018.
At the Port of Brunswick, automotive and heavy equipment units increased by 13,811 in September for a total of 50,515 units.
Cargo moving by rail at the 1,200-acre Garden City Terminal continues to outpace Savannah’s overall TEU growth, expanding by 35 percent in September and 30 percent for the fiscal year to date, on volumes of 41,183 and 131,819 containers, respectively.
To take on more rail business, the GPA has started construction on what will become the largest on-terminal rail facility for a port in North America. The Mason Mega Rail Terminal will start to come online in 2019, with full completion in 2020. Able to accommodate 10,000-foot long unit trains, the rail yard will help increase Savannah’s intermodal market by making direct service over longer distances more cost effective for rail providers Norfolk Southern and CSX.
Lynch said the additional business is related in part to on-terminal infrastructure expansions, as well as private investment in warehousing and logistics services in Georgia.
