The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has handled 451,670 TEU in February, up 56,880 TEU or 14.4 per cent over the same month last year.
Loaded import containers gained 19 per cent for 219,000 TEU, while export loads increased 10 per cent to 121,930.
Following a difficult start to the fiscal year, improved volumes could propel GPA to a stronger second half of Fiscal Year 2024, which concludes in June. Intermodal rail freight hit a February record in Savannah last month.
The port’s Mason Mega Rail Terminal had a 39 per cent rise in rail traffic to 46,890 containers, or 13,060 lifts, from February 2023. Rail represented for 19 per cent of GPA’s February container traffic, with the rest transported by road.
READ: Georgia Ports splashes $127 million on expanding terminal capacity
Mason Mega Rail is reportedly the biggest marine terminal rail infrastructure in North America, with 24 miles of track across 85 acres at the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal.
According to GPA, the $220 million improvement boosted the port’s rail capacity to 1 million containers per year, relocated trains away from neighbourhood crossings, and added rail switching to the port.
The increased rail capacity improves intermodal container handling and expands GPA’s inland service region.
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Griff Lynch, CEO of GPA, said: “GPA has made significant investments in rail infrastructure. That’s going to play a key role in capturing our next growth target – a greater share of the market in locations such as Dallas, Memphis and beyond.”
Kent Fountain, GPA Board Chairman, stated: “Our gratitude goes out to GPA employees and our partners at Gateway Terminals and the International Longshoremen’s Association for the outstanding work they are doing. The energy and care they put into our terminal services is a key reason customers continue to choose Georgia’s ports.”
In January, GPA handled 428,000 TEU, an increase of 6,300 containers, or 1.5 per cent compared to the same month last year.
