GPA moves 2.61M tons of cargo in March

   The Georgia Ports Authority said it handled a record 2.61 million tons of cargo at its terminals in March – a 15.5-percent increase over the same month a year ago.
   The 349,682-ton increase was met by “double-digit container growth,” GPA said Thursday. The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal moved 260,539 TEUs for the month, up 28,000 TEUs, or 12 percent. Cargo moved by rail accounted for 254,263 containers, or about 19.8 percent of total container volume.
   “A combination of new customers and retail outlets increasing inventory before the busy summer season factored into our success,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz in a statement. “Meanwhile, at our dedicated auto port, we’re seeing an increase in volume as more carmakers choose the Port of Brunswick as their gateway to the Southeastern U.S.”
   A record number of roll-on/roll-off units – more than 64,000 cars, trucks and tractors – crossed GPA’s docks in March, a 21-percent improvement over year-ago figures, the port authority said.
   Strong March cargo volumes built on the previous eight months to deliver a 6.8-percent fiscal year-to-date increase in TEUs, for a total of 2.31 million TEUs. Ro/ro traffic has seen even stronger growth for the fiscal year to date, reaching 503,091 units for a 7.4-percent (34,452-unit) improvement, GPA said.
   GPA closed its third quarter having moved a fiscal year-to-date total of 21.8 million tons of freight. An 8.4-percent increase compared to the same period last year added 1.7 million tons for the current total.