WASHINGTON: Another month has brought another tonnage record for the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA). The agency reported its best July ever on Thursday. The Port of Savannah moved more than 336,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containerized cargo last month, a 6.8 percent increase over July of last year.
Total tonnage for the month at the ports in Savannah and Brunswick grew by 13 percent, or 2.37 million tons, to reach a total of 20.67 million tons. “Our July performance underscores the value of our deep-water ports to the nation’s economy,” GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. “Our terminals support the exports of our farms and factories, supply components for domestic manufacturing and ensure the efficiency of retail commerce.” Earlier this week, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch told members of the Rotary Club of Atlanta the authority has set year-over-year tonnage records for eight consecutive months. He attributed the additional traffic largely to the influx of huge Panamax containerized-cargo vessels that have begun calling at Savannah’s Garden City Terminal since the expansion of the Panama Canal was completed last year.
