PORT OF SAVANNAH MAINTAINS DOUBLE-DIGIT CONTAINER GROWTH

PORT OF SAVANNAH MAINTAINS DOUBLE-DIGIT CONTAINER GROWTH    The Port of Savannah maintained its double-digit growth in containerized cargo into the first quarter of fiscal 2001, thanks largely to the area's growing importance as an import distribution center for major retailers.
   For the quarter ended Sept. 30, Savannah's container terminals handled 282,470 TEUs, a 11.3-percent increase over the year-earlier period. The port's September volume of 94,540 TEUs was the second-highest month ever, and marked a 17.8-percent improvement over September 2000.
   “The increase in the volume of containerized cargo shows strength in import cargo from the Far East,” said John D. Trent, director of operations for the Georgia Ports Authority. Most of that cargo is destined to the “growing number of import distribution centers in the region.”
   The strong first quarter follows a fiscal 2001 in which the Georgia Ports Authority's container handling volume increased 20 percent.