Feb. container volumes up at Savannah, Charleston

East Coast ports are taking temporary market share from the West Coast.    Cargo volumes at major container ports are tipping like a scale between the West Coast and East Coast.
   On Monday, the Georgia Ports Authority announced 284,037 TEUs crossed the docks in February at the Port of Savannah, a 14.2 percent increase from February 2014. The results follow January’s 13.3 percent growth. 
   The Port of Charleston last month handled 152,925 TEUs, up 18 percent from a year ago. In January, Charleston’s volume also grew 18 percent.
   Fiscal year-to-date since July, volume is up 14.3 percent at the Port of Charleston to 1.23 million TEUs and up 13.7 percent at Savannah to 2.32 million TEUs.
   The Port of New York/New Jersey has yet to release February cargo statistics, but in January the port set a record for the month and outpaced January 2014 volume by 7.8 percent.
   Meanwhile, container volume at the Port of Los Angeles was down 10.2 percent in February. The falloff was even worse at the ports of Long Beach and Oakland. In Long Beach terminals handled 20 percent fewer shipping units and Oakland’s cargo volumes plummeted 37 percent.
   East Coast ports are capturing cargo that shippers have temporarily diverted because of severe congestion at West Coast ports in recent months. Ports are still unwinding from the work slowdown resulting from contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association. The labor dispute worsened existing crowding of terminals and cut productivity by more than half.
   The Georgia Ports Authority said bulk, breakbulk, auto and machinery business was strong for February in Savannah and the Port of Brunswick.
   Automotive and machinery units grew 8.9 percent in February to 57,654. Rolling stock is up 5.8 percent on a fiscal-year basis.
   Bulk commodities such as soybean meal and peanut pellets grew 14.8 percent and breakbulk cago, such as iron and steel, increased 24.8 percent.
   The GPA board has approved $10 million for the second phase of construction of a new Gate 8 and empty container depot at the Garden City Terminal in Savannah. The project, which totals $27 million, will help the terminal handle higher than expected container volume growth, the GPA said.
   The board also allotted $3.7 million for earthwork to prepare 50 acres for potential customers on the south side of Colonel’s Island at the Port of Brunswick.
   It also approved construction of a third phase of the Anguilla Rail Yard in Brunswick, an inland port created to handle growing rail volumes. Improvements will include the construction of two additional storage rail tracks of about 4,200 feet in length each. The project is estimated to cost $2.7 million.