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10 consecutive months of growth in Savannah

[ June 17, 2021   //   ]

The Port of Savannah handled 478,620 TEUs in May, an increase of 41.9% compared to last year. It was the second busiest month in the port’s history, and the 10th consecutive month of positive year-over-year growth.
Port officials said the facilities saw a fast recovery from the global economic downturn of 2020.
“Last year, at this time, we were uncertain of the road ahead and expecting a double-digit loss in business,” said outgoing Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Board Chairman Will McKnight. “To see how the GPA team and our supply chain partners have turned things around to achieve a string of the most successful months ever speaks volumes for this world-class workforce.”
For the fiscal year to date (June through May), GPA has moved nearly 4.9 million TEUs, putting it on pace to surpass 5 million TEUs for the first time. Total cargo crossing all GPA docks reached 3.8 million tons last month, up 26%, or 781,121 tons. Rail volumes for the month grew 28%, or approximately 12,029 lifts, for a total of 54,436 containers.
“We believe managing the new cargo that’s coming our way benefits the economy, jumpstarts economic development and sustains long-term growth,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “We are encouraged by the Board’s support as we advance our strategic plan to ensure we absorb this growth more effectively in the future.”
To keep up with this unprecedented growth, GPA has accelerated its hiring efforts, bringing on nearly 150 new employees since January 2021. Many of these employees are being trained in jockey trucks, yard cranes and other equipment to handle growth at GPA’s facilities.
GPA’s trade in vehicles and machinery units also soared last month, growing by 48,830 units, or 347%, for a total of 62,873 units. The auto industry was hit particularly hard during COVID-19 as many
manufacturers faced plant closures and supply chain disruptions. “We expect strong growth to continue in autos and machinery as manufacturers return to normal operations

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