Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has reported a year-on-year 38% increase in container trade for April with the Port of Savannah handling 466,633TEU in the second-busiest month on record after last March.
At the same time, the rate of growth in intermodal rail lifts at Garden City Terminal slightly outpaced overall container growth, increasing by 39% (13,500 lifts), for a total of 48,000 20 and 40ft containers, while GPA’s intermodal trade accounted for more than 87,000TEU in the last month.
To handle its expanding rail trade, the port authority will complete its Mason Mega Rail Terminal this year, doubling its annual rail lift capacity to 2 million TEU, expecting to be the largest on-terminal rail facility for a port in North America, once the project is completed.
“Demand for products and services both domestically and abroad is driving significant gains in Georgia’s cargo volumes. The supply chain continues to experience unprecedented increases due to the reopening of the local, regional and national economies,” GPA executive director, Griff Lynch, commented.
In the meantime, on 24 May GPA has elected new officers for the coming fiscal year with Joel Wooten serving as chairman, Kent Fountain as vice chairman and Alec Poitevint as secretary-treasurer.
Wooten and Fountain’s election represents an advancement from their previous positions of vice chairman and secretary-treasurer, respectively, while Poitevint, a former GPA board chairman, was serving as a member prior to becoming the Authority’s next secretary-treasurer.
“Kent and Alec’s experience and understanding will continue to be valuable assets as we prepare to accommodate the higher volumes we expect to move in the future,” stated Wooten.
