Port of Savannah achieves record of container handling volume along with major expansion projects

The Port of Savannah handled 4.75 million TEU in the first ten months of fiscal 2022, up 8% year-on-year and nearly 500,000 TEU in April.

Savannah port

Port of Savannah in Georgia, USA (Image: Georgia Ports Authority)

The Port of Savannah in Georgia, USA handled 4.75 million TEUs during the first ten months of fiscal year 2022 (the fiscal year is July 2021 - June 2022), an increase of 8% year-on-year.

In addition, the Port of Savannah handled nearly 500,000 TEUs in April, the third highest throughput month in the port's history.

“The phenomenal growth we have achieved has been made possible by the team effort of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) and Gateway Terminals employees, the International Longshoremen’s Association, and our partners in trucking and rail,” said GPA chief executive Griff Lynch.

Meanwhile, GPA is expanding its berth and container yard capacity in Savannah to meet growing business needs.

GPA board president, Joel Wooten, said: “Our long-running program of infrastructure expansion, coupled with the Authority’s ability as an owner-operator to speed up the schedule of development, has allowed the Port of Savannah to adapt to heightened container volumes.” He pointed out that "On-terminal and inland capacity improvements enable cargo to flow across our docks without congestion."

Projects to increase the port's capacity include:

- Replacing the 4,645 m² cargo warehouse at Mayor's Point in Brunswick with a new, double-sized warehouse with new safety improvements and upgraded floors for heavy cargo handling.

- Renovating container wharf 1 at Garden City Terminal, which will increase the annual wharf capacity to 1.4 million TEUs and provide an additional large wharf serving with a new shipbuilding crane. Expected basic completion in June 2023.

- Overall upgrade of the Port of Savannah gantry cranes with the addition of 9 new electric RTG gantry cranes in Q1 2023, bringing the total number of RTG gantry cranes to 207.

- An increase of 300,000 TEUs in Garden City Terminal's annual container yard capacity through July by the Peak Capacity Project, which added 900,000 TEUs of annual capacity to the port on April 13.

- Phase I of the Garden City Terminal West project will add a 100,000 m² wide chassis yard.

- Phase II of the Garden City Terminal West project will add a total annual capacity of 1 million TEU, with the first phase expected to come into operation in 2023.

Savannah was recently ranked as the top US container port with export volume, reaching 1.38 million TEU in 2021.

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