Georgia Ports Authority container volumes up 18 percent to 530,800 TEU in July 2022
The Georgia Ports Authority kicked off its new fiscal year with the fastest start ever, handling 530,800 twenty-foot equivalent container units in July, an increase of 18 percent, according to the company's release.
Since January, GPA has moved 3.4 million TEUs, up 231,400 or 7 percent over its performance during the same period in 2021 – a record year in which GPA handled 5.6 million TEUs. Annualized, the July volumes have the Port of Savannah moving containers at a rate of more than 6 million TEUs per year.
To better suit drivers’ needs, GPA has shifted operations to start two hours earlier, with gates now open from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. without interruption. Since the new hours were implemented on Aug. 1, the port has seen strong adoption from drivers, with 3,000 transactions completed in the 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. time block over the past week.
The Port of Savannah’s gate operations averaged 15,000 truck moves per weekday in July, including both import and export transactions.
GPA has eight new ship-to-shore cranes on order, with the first four arriving in February and the next four arriving by the end of 2023. Additionally, another big ship berth at Garden City Terminal is 60 percent complete, with the improvements slated to come online in July 2023. The improved berth will add 1.4 million TEUs of berth capacity, while the Garden City Terminal West project will add another 1 million TEUs of container yard capacity in phases during 2023 and 2024.
Georgia Ports Authority will grow annual berth capacity from 6 million to 7.5 million TEUs by next year, and 9 million TEUs by 2025. GPA anticipates spending $4.5 billion over the next 12 years to expand its container-handling capabilities.
