Port of Brunswick posts growth year for autos

Georgia's Port of Brunswick handled a record 775,565 units of autos and machinery in 2023, an increase of 15.6% over 2022 levels, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced yesterday.

GPA officials hope the authority's $262 million investment and acreage for expansion will make the port's Colonel’s Island Terminal the "premier" roll-on/roll-off facility in the United States. An expansion includes near-dock warehousing serving auto and machinery processing at the terminal, with three new warehouses to be built and more new processing centers this year, 122 acres of new roll-on/roll-off cargo storage space, a fourth roll-on/roll-off berth in the engineering phase and a new rail yard planned.

The additional capacity will enable auto manufacturers to meet their growing import and export needs and flexibility in  storage and movement of vehicles during seasonal cycles, GPA officials said in a press release.

The Colonial's Island auto port offers service via Class Is to destinations in the Midwest, Gulf states and across the country.

In the container business, the GPA handled 422,300 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in December 2023, down 4% or nearly 18,500 TEUs compared to the same month in 2022. The Port of Savannah ended calendar-year 2023 with a total 4.9 million TEUs, down 16% year over year. Higher inflation rates and interest rates slowed consumer spending resulting in higher inventories in warehouses.