The Georgia Ports Authority said Monday it broke a new record in the number of shipping containers it moved in the past fiscal year, buoyed by new business from larger ships plying the waters of the East Coast.
The authority moved 3.85 million twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) container units in the 12 months ended in June, up 6.7 percent from the prior year.
The GPA operates the Savannah and Brunswick ports as well as inland facilities.
In response to growth, the ports board approved the purchase of six new Neopanamax cranes for nearly $73 million to go along with four others recently acquired.
“We could not have achieved this record-breaking year without the hard work and outstanding dedication of our employees,” GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said in a news release. “Our volume growth continues to outpace forecasted demand. Shipping lines are moving 13,000- and 14,000-TEU vessels into service on the East Coast more quickly than anticipated, and concentrating their deliveries at efficient gateway ports like Savannah. This new crane purchase, along with the four already on order, will enable GPA to increase crane capacity by nearly 40 percent.”
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