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4/11/2014
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) in March logged 2.61 million tons of cargo, up 15.5 percent year over year and the highest March volume on record.The 349,682-ton increase primarily was driven by double-digit container growth, GPA officials said in a press release. The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal handled 260,539 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 12 percent. Between July 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014, cargo moved by rail accounted for 254,263 containers, or about 19.8 percent of total container volume. "A combination of new customers and retail outlets increasing inventory before the busy summer season factored into our success," said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. In addition, a record number of roll-on/roll-off units – more than 64,000 cars, trucks and tractors – crossed GPA docks in March, a 21 percent gain compared with March 2013 volume."At our dedicated auto port, we’re seeing an increase in volume as more carmakers choose the Port of Brunswick as their gateway to the Southeastern U.S.," said Foltz. Meanwhile, the Maryland Port Administration earlier this week announced that the Port of Baltimore set cargo records for containers, autos and wood pulp in 2013. Container volume of 6.4 million tons bested the previous high-water mark of 6.3 million tons set in 2012; auto volume of 749,100 units broke the previous record of 652,000 units set in 2012 and reached the highest level among all U.S. ports; and wood pulp volume of 591,570 tons surpassed the previous high of 515,433 tons attained in 2011.Overall, the port handled 9.6 million tons of cargo in 2013, matching a record set in 2012."The Port of Baltimore continues to prove that it is one of the most productive seaports in the U.S.," said Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley in a press release. "The port has successfully withstood a challenging economy and has outperformed many other major U.S. ports thanks to shrewd infrastructure investments, unique job-creating public-private partnerships and long-term contracts with major international shipping companies."