Ga. governor: Savannah is 4th-largest U.S. container port

Ga. governor: Savannah is 4th-largest U.S. container port Georgia Ports Authority handled more than 21.4 million tons of cargo at terminals in Savannah, Brunswick and two inland ports during the first 10 months of fiscal year 2008 ending April 30, a 21 percent increase over the prior year.
   Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said Savannah is now the fourth-busiest and fastest-growing U.S. container port.
   In its last fiscal year Savannah handled about 2.3 million TEUs. In the current fiscal year, the port is running 19 percent ahead of last year’s pace, already handling 2.2 million TEUs in the 10 months ending April 30.
   The port said statistics compiled by the Port Import Export Reporting Service (PIERS) indicate it now has greater container volume than all U.S. ports other than Los Angeles, Long Beach, and New York-New Jersey.
   “Georgia’s ports are dynamic economic engines that continue to thrive even during tough economic times,” Perdue said. “The completion of the Container Berth 8 and 9 project and the addition of four new cranes in Savannah as well as the expansion of the grain and rail facilities in Brunswick have sharpened Georgia’s advantages over its competitors.”
   In addition to Savannah and Brunswick, the GPA operates the inland river ports of Bainbridge and Columbus, which are along the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Waterway.
   Colonel’s Island Terminal in Brunswick has handled 684,894 tons of bulk commodities from July 2007 to April 2008, a 98.5 percent increase compared with the previous year.