Savannah sets new container record in April

Box volumes at the southeast port grew more than 25% last month.    Cargo volume is exploding upward at the Port of Savannah this year. 
   The Georgia Ports Authority said Monday it handled 335,337 TEUs in April. The 25.8 percent jump in business from April a year ago followed on the heels of a 27.8 percent increase in March and set a record for the largest number of containers in a month for the second consecutive month.
   The port’s Garden City Terminal, as well as other ports on the East Coast, are enjoying double-digit growth in large part because of cargo diversion from West Coast ports. Many shippers opted to use alternative routes, including all-water, to bypass congestion associated with labor strife at Pacific ports. Some of that cargo is still in the pipeline, and some shippers are believed to be shifting more cargo to the East Coast, especially in the Southeast, on a permanent basis because of improved reliability and service.
   The GPA also said vehicular cargo at Savannah and the Port of Brunswick increased 14.1 percent to 77,574 units.
   Savannah’s multi-purpose Ocean Terminal nearly doubled its breakbulk cargo in April to 166,489 tons. Total breakbulk tonnage grew 38.7 percent to 322,603 tons.
   The Port of Savannah has mostly been able to handle the increased volume with few problems and the port authority is continuing to invest to maintain that fluidity.
   At a regular meeting on Monday, the board approved $141.8 million in capital improvements with passage of its fiscal year 2016 budget, which begins in July.
   Of the total, $33.4 million will go to improve power infrastructure for cranes, paving, increased rail capacity and other improvements at both ports.
   Another $83.4 million will go toward property development and the purchase of new equipment. Of that, $33 million will pay for 30 new rubber-tired gantry cranes. The addition of conductor rails to support Savannah’s transition to more efficient electric rubber-tired gantry cranes will cost $11.5 million and allow 20 more RTGs to run on electricity instead of diesel.
   The board also dedicated $16.5 million toward the purchase of four new ship-to-shore cranes. The super post-panamax cranes will cost a total of $48.2 million.
   Meanwhile, $3 million will pay for property development needed for expanding business in general cargo at Savannah’s Ocean Terminal. At Colonel’s Island Terminal in Brunswick, $5.5 million will go to developing more land to support growing auto volumes. 
   “Our long-time policy has been to maintain capacity at least 20 percent above demand through timely infrastructure investments,” Vice Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. “By making these commitments now, GPA will be prepared to handle expanding cargo volumes both now and in the future.”