The Georgia Ports Authority has approved projects to increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah beyond 6 million twenty-foot equivalent container units. In 2020, the Port of Savannah handled 4.7 million TEUs of cargo. Photo Credit: Jeremy Polston
Growing container capacity beyond 6M TEUs
On Monday, the Georgia Ports Authority Board approved capital improvement projects that will increase the Port of Savannah’s container capacity by 20 percent.
“Right now, we are moving container volumes that we did not expect to see for another four years,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “Our employees are working very hard to ensure we continue to provide our customers with world-class service. Additionally, we are expediting capacity projects that will increase the speed and fluidity of cargo handling at the Port of Savannah.”
The board approved a terminal enhancement dubbed the Peak Capacity project, which will establish 2,100 new grounded container slots. The project will add 650,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units of annual container yard capacity in two phases, with the first opening in September.
“Georgia’s container trade has experienced unprecedented growth over the past six months,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “This addition is among several that will address the needs of port users experiencing a sharp increase in demand, while also preparing Savannah to take on additional business over the long term.”
In its busiest February ever, the Port of Savannah moved 390,804 TEUs of cargo, an increase of 7.2 percent, or 26,400 TEUs compared to February 2020. Between September and February, GPA handled 2.64 million TEUs, an increase of nearly 375,000, or 16.5 percent, compared to the same six-month period a year ago. “In terms of cargo volumes, we’ve added the equivalent of an extra month of trade since September,” Lynch said…Continue Reading