Container activity jumps 16% at Port of Savannah

The port’s efficiency is helping attract disaffected shippers from West Coast ports, which suffered from severe congestion during contentions waterfront labor negotiations earlier this year.    The Port of Savannah set a record for container volume the third consecutive month in May, handling more than 338,000 TEUs, the Georgia Ports Authority said Monday. The container throughput represented a 16.4 percent increase from May of 2014.
   Savannah has been a major beneficiary of port congestion on the West Coast, which reached its zenith early this year when a labor dispute between dockworkers and management severely slowed cargo handling. Many shippers have diverted cargo to Savannah on vessels moving through the Suez and Panama canals. So far, the port has been able to handle the growth with minimal disruptions.
   During the first five months of the year, Savannah has moved 1.58 million TEUs, putting the port on pace to surpass last year’s record of 3.35 million standard shipping units.
   The GPA said it also set a tonnage record at the ports of Savannah and Brunswick. The two ports last month processed 2.9 million tons of freight, up 9.6 percent year-over-year.
   The East River Terminal in Brunswick, operated by Logistec, was a major contributor to the bulk growth. It experienced a 44.2 percent increase in commodities with 134,277 total tons handled.
   Port Director Curtis Foltz attributed the growth, in part, to strong biofuel exports to Northern Europe, according to the GPA. Wood pellets used as a renewable fuel are a major piece of that activity.
   The port authority also said growth in soybean meal exports boosted volume at the Colonel’s Island Terminal in Brunswick by 40.2 percent to 172,825 tons.
   In other news, the Georgia Ports Authority board on Monday re-elected James Walters for a second term as chairman. Walters is president of his own financial services company.
   In addition, James L. Allgood was re-elected as vice chairman and A.J. Hopkins II will also maintain his post as secretary/treasurer, GPA said in a statement.