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Georgia Ports in the US east coast is set to expand its terminal capacity by 25% this year as the gateway also saw "record" throughput numbers in 2021.
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) said the Port of Savannah moved a record 5.6 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) in 2021, growing volumes by a million TEUs, or 20% compared to 2020.
It added that in Brunswick, Colonel's Island Terminal handled 649,550 units of cars, trucks and machinery, an increase of 10.6%.
GPA noted that the Port of Savannah has experienced 12 consecutive months of record container growth.
"December was no exception, with a record 465,000 TEUs handled, and an all-time high of 312,000 truck gate moves," it said, adding that counting Roll-on/Roll-off cargo handled via Ocean Terminal in Savannah, GPA moved a total of 668,166 units, an increase of 11 percent or 65,400 units.
In intermodal rail, the Port of Savannah also grew by 10% in 2021, topping 538,000 container lifts, or nearly 1 million TEUs, a record.
GPA said the addition of nine working tracks in November expanded the Port of Savannah's rail lift capacity to 2 million TEUs per year, an immediate increase of 30%.
It noted that the expanded rail yard allows Savannah to build and receive six 10,000-foot long trains simultaneously, speeding the flow of international trade to and from the nation's third busiest container gateway.
"Our expanded rail and yard capacity, along with new operational practices, allowed GPA to overcome serious headwinds in the international supply chain," said Griff Lynch, the port's executive Director, adding that collaboration allowed the port to handle an "unprecedented level of business last year."
Capacity expansion
GPA noted in its report that in 2021, Georgia Ports also expedited the purchase of new equipment, completion of new capacity on terminal and hiring to accommodate increased demand for services.
In total, GPA added four rail-mounted gantry cranes, 10 rubber-tired gantry cranes, 145 employees and an annual yard capacity of 400,000 TEUs.
It said in March, GPA will add 500,000 TEUs of annual capacity, growing to a total of 1.6 million TEUs of new capacity by June – a 25% increase in Savannah's previous capacity for container trade.
At the Port of Brunswick, major expansion efforts are under way at Colonel’s Island that will increase Ro/Ro capacity to 1.3 million units by the end of the year, as well as adding new services to prepare vehicles for export.
