Written by: Stuart Chirls, Senior Editor Container throughput at Georgia’s Port of Savannah totaled 331,190 TEUs in January, an increase of 16.1% from the same month a year ago and the third straight record monthly gain. "The expansion we're seeing in our container volumes constitutes a strong vote of confidence from our new and longtime port customers," said board chairman Jimmy Allgood of the Georgia Ports Authority, in a statement. “Keeping ahead of demand requires infrastructure development in both the public and private sector. The new facilities destined for our trade park are part of that equation. The GPA is also making the on-terminal improvements necessary to stay ahead of demand." Also, the agency announced the sale of 500 acres of property for commercial development to accommodate growing customer demand for warehousing, distribution and transload facilities near the Port of Savannah. The new development on five parcels of land at GPA's Savannah River International Trade Park is less than five miles from the Garden City Container Terminal and can accommodate up to 5 million square feet of logistics space. Ports Executive Director Griff Lynch in the statement said the development marks Savannah as a “gateway port” for the southeast U.S. "With an increased demand for reliable, cost-effective logistics opportunities, this development is another example of GPA's focus on supply chain solutions for our customers." The project is located one mile from Interstate 95 and will serve a growing range of customers from the Southeast to the Midwest U.S. The port earlier announced a $128 million rail expansion project at Garden City Terminal to double Savannah's annual rail lift capacity to 1 million containers. A part of GPA's Mid-American Arc initiative, the expansion will better accommodate 10,000-foot unit trains, and aims to compete for Midwest traffic now served by eastern ports. Continue reading...
