March 20 - The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) handled 2.94 million tons (2.68 million tonnes) of cargo across all of its docks during February 2017 - a 10 percent increase over February 2016.
Container tonnage was the primary driver of the cargo growth, which expanded by 14.4 percent year-on-year to more than 2.5 million tons (2.27 million tonnes), said GPA executive director Griff Lynch.
Lynch said Savannah's Ocean Terminal also achieved significant growth in February 2017, with a 9.2 percent increase in breakbulk cargo for the month led by linerboard, automotives, iron and steel.
"A 38 percent increase in iron and steel is a good leading indicator of future growth in construction, as well as automobile and other manufacturing," he said.
Lynch also stated that GPA will commission a new neo-Panamax ship-to-shore crane at its Garden City Terminal in Savannah this week, in order to serve to the larger vessels calling at the terminal; three more will be brought online in mid-April. A separate, USD45.3 million order will bring four more cranes to the terminal in 2018, bringing the number of cranes available to 30.
GPA executive director, Griff Lynch
