Georgia Ports Authority marine terminals handled 450,700 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), the second-busiest September on record, and an increase of 12% from the same month a year ago.
“In September, we saw front-loading of containers as customers worked to ensure cargo availability ahead of the holiday shopping season,” said GPA President and Chief Executive Griff Lynch, in a release. “With another 375,000 TEUs currently on the water, we’re expecting continued strength in October.”
September import loads totaled 234,630 TEUs in Savannah, up 17% from the same month in 2023. Loaded exports fell 8.8%. Only September 2021 saw higher volume, at 472,000 TEUs.
The Port of Savannah’s container volumes totaled more than 1.4 million TEUs, up 13%, for the first quarter of fiscal 2025, which began July 1.
The inland terminal at Appalachian Regional Port handled 3,000 containers in September, an increase of 11%, for a record quarter of more than 10,000 containers.
Growth of the inland rail yards was boosted by the Port of Savannah’s Mason Mega Rail Terminal, which saw a one-day record of 2,169 containers moved on Oct. 4.
Lynch said that construction on the Blue Ridge Connector rail project in Gainesville is now 23% complete. Current activities include dirt work, and the installation of utilities and storm drainage. The inland port is slated to open in 2026.
At the Port of Brunswick, Colonel’s Island Terminal handled 78,430 vehicles and high/heavy equipment in September, an increase of 10% y/y.
The GPA Board in September approved the addition of 50 acres of paved vehicle storage at Colonel’s Island to accommodate increasing roll-on/roll-off trade. The expansion will open in the summer of 2025, and comes after the recent addition of more than 120 acres of paved storage. The GPA said Colonel’s Island still has 200 more acres available for growth.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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