GPA posts busiest April ever for container cargo

The Georgia Ports Authority saw containerized cargo volumes for the month jump 11.7 percent to 333,006 TEUs compared with April 2016.    The Georgia Port Authority (GPA) handled 333,006 TEUs of containerized cargo in April 2017, an increase of 11.7 percent (34,966 TEUs) from the same 2016 period, according to recent data from the port authority.
   Across all Georgia ports, total tonnage increased by 13 percent (334,950 tons) year-over-year to 2.94 million tons, making it GPA’s busiest April ever, the port authority said.
   Through the first four months of the year, container throughput at GPA’s terminals has increased 10.2 percent to 1.3 million TEUs compared with the same period in 2016.
   Total refrigerated cargo, including exports of poultry, peanuts, pecans and blueberries and other farm produce, grew by 8.2 percent in April. Year-to-date, refrigerated cargo is up 11.6 percent to 23,661 total containers, GPA said.
   Auto and machinery units shipped through the ports of Savannah and Brunswick were up 3.5 percent to 217,729 units so far in 2017.
   “Savannah has established itself as a premier gateway serving the Eastern United States,” said Griff Lynch, GPA’s executive director. “Our team is not only keeping pace with record volumes, but has managed to set new industry standards in cargo velocity, berth productivity and congestion free gates.”
   Lynch commented on the recent arrival of the COSCO Development, the largest vessel to transit the newly expanded Panama Canal and call at ports on the U.S. East Coast. He said the scale and scope of the Garden City Terminal in Savannah is perfectly suited for the cargo amounts coming on and off 13,000-TEU vessels.
   “As the size of vessels grows, so does the need for larger terminals with significant assets to handle increased volumes. At 1,200 acres, handling nearly 10,000 truck moves per day and 38 trains per week, Savannah is perfectly positioned to fill this need,” Lynch said.
   GPA reported that during the 30 hours the COSCO Development was in dock, six cranes moved more than 9,700 TEUs on and off the vessel, with a net berth productivity of 220 boxes per hour.
   “Our goal at Georgia’s ports has been to stay one step ahead of demand in the marketplace,” said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. “As a result of this approach, we can accommodate more and more vessels like the COSCO Development without delays.”
   Looking ahead, the GPA Board approved the purchase of three new electric rubber-tired gantry (RTGs) cranes for use at the inland Appalachian Regional Port (ARP) in Chatsworth, Ga. The e-RTGs will largely eliminate diesel usage, run quieter and require less maintenance than diesel-powered RTGs, according to the port authority.
   GPA plans to begin operations at ARP in 2018, opening additional opportunities to convert containers from truck to intermodal rail service in inland markets across Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, the port authority said.