The Georgia Ports Authority announced that it achieved records in total tonnage and twenty-foot equivalent container units handled in Fiscal Year 2018, which ended in June. GPA handled a record 4.2 million TEUs, for 8.4% increase year-over-year, or 325,000 additional units.
In its busiest June ever, the Port of Savannah handled 370,725 TEUs, up 9.8% (33,014 TEUs) over June 2017. It was the Authority’s 18th month in a row handling more than 300,000 TEUs. In addition, intermodal rail lifts increased to 435,000, an increase of 16.1%, or more than 60,000 additional moves.
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Moreover, total cargo crossing all GPA docks in FY18 grew by 8%, or 2.6 million tons, to reach a record 36 million tons of containerized, breakbulk and bulk cargoes.
GPA also approved the construction of an $8.8 million overpass, part of the $127 million Mason Mega Rail project that, which will allow 10,000-foot unit trains to be built on terminal. This, along with other developments, will increase Savannah’s annual rail lift capacity to 1 million containers by 2020, reducing transit time to markets such as Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati by 24 hours.
GPA approved the expansion of refrigerated cargo capacity at Garden City Terminal as well. The project will add 15 refrigerated container racks, accommodating a total of 360 additional containers. The Port of Savannah currently features 104 racks, holding 2,496 containers at a time.
The board will also purchase 10 additional container handling machines, for $3.5 million.
Lastly, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port (ARP), an inland rail terminal that will take 50,000 trucks off Georgia ARP aims to improve container availability and reduce transportation costs in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.