Georgia ports approve spending for new cranes

Georgia ports approve spending for new cranes Georgia Ports Authority said Monday its board approved spending $21.9 million for 11 new rubber-tired gantry container cranes and $2.5 million for new refrigerated container storage in Savannah.
   The authority also approved $2.2 million to build 6,000 linear feet of additional storage track at its port in Brunswick to support increased volumes of automobiles and grain arriving in unit trains.
   “These new commitments are critical for the future of Georgia’s economic vitality and will help Georgians take advantage of new opportunities when the economy improves,” said Steve Green, GPA chairman.
   Executive Director Doug J. Marchand said the authority’s terminals handled more than 2.2 million tons of cargo in August, a 4.4-percent increase, or an additional 94,765 tons of cargo compared with the same period last year.
   However, containerized cargo movements at GPA terminals in August, including both loaded and empty boxes, were 228,543 TEUs in August, down 3.2 percent from the same period in 2007.
   While full export boxes climbed to 98,873 TEUs in August from 88,718 TEUs in August 2007, full import boxes in August 2008 were 94,552 compared to 97,841 TEUs in August 2007.
   Green noted GPA handled more than 2.6 million TEUs in fiscal year 2008, a 14.9-percent increase, setting a record for containers handled at the Port of Savannah. The GPA’s total tonnage for all terminal facilities, including Bainbridge, Brunswick, Columbus and Savannah surpassed 25.8 million tons, a 17.5-percent increase, which is also a record for the authority.