Georgia Ports Authority sets new record in 2016

In terms of loaded containerized cargo, the Georgia Ports Authority set a record for 2016, handling 2.95 million TEUs of loaded containers thorughout the year.    The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) handled 292,172 TEUs in December 2016, a 12.3 percent increase from December 2015, the port authority said.
   The GPA saw similar growth in roll-on/roll-off cargo volumes, handling 63,967 units in December 2016, also a 12.3 percent increase over December 2015.
   For the full year, GPA handled 3.64 million TEUs, including empty containers, fewer than the 3.74 million TEUs in 2015. However, in terms of containers loaded with cargo, the GPA handled a record number in 2016, moving 2.95 million TEUs, about 71,000 TEUs higher than 2015.
   “Strategic proximity to major population and manufacturing sites, direct interstate access and the most ocean carrier routes in the U.S. Southeast are the competitive advantages drawing customers to our ports,” GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said.
   The GPA broke ground last month on a new inland terminal in Northwest Georgia. The Appalachian Regional Port is expected to open in the third quarter of 2018 and expand GPA’s target market in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. In addition, the port is expected to make goods manufactured in the region – such as flooring, automobiles and tires – more competitive in the global market.