Georgia port authority notes new cargo record, more state funds for harbor expansion

Georgia ports in October handled a record 2.54 million tons of cargo, up 22 percent compared with October 2012's level, according to the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA).

Colonel's Island Terminal at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal at the Port of Savannah combined to log a record 62,343 units of automobiles and heavy machinery, up 19.2 percent year over year. In addition, container volume climbed 19 percent to 274,362 20-foot equivalent units.

The GPA also announced that Gov. Nathan Deal last week unveiled plans to seek another $35 million from the General Assembly to help fund the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, which calls for deepening the harbor from 42 to 47 feet, widening channel turns and creating a larger turning basin. The new request would bring the total state dollars allotted to the project to $266 million, fulfilling Georgia's portion of the $652 million expansion, GPA officials said in a press release.

"Strong [volume] growth, new customer accounts and additional harbor deepening funding … are all positive signs that Georgia's ports are moving in the right direction," said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz.