SAVANNAH, Ga. – Georgia’s seaports handled record cargo volumes in the first month of the 2022 fiscal year.
The Georgia Ports Authority said the Port of Savannah moved 450,000 container units of imports and exports in July, a 25% increase from the previous year and a new all-time high for that month.
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Meanwhile, shipments of automobiles and machinery units through the Port of Brunswick jumped 39% last month to 61,470 units, another July record.
The growth is being driven by strong consumer demand and extra ships being dispatched to meet that demand, Georgia Ports Authority executive director Griff Lynch said in a news release.
The booming July followed immediately after the Port of Savannah reached a major milestone, moving 5.3 million containers across its docks in the 2021 fiscal year that ended June 30. It was the first time container trade at Savannah crossed the 5 million threshold.
Containers are large metal boxes used to ship goods ranging from consumer electronics to frozen chickens. Savannah has the fourth-busiest container port in the U.S.
The port authority is making improvements to docks and rail terminals to accommodate future growth. Also, the agency said, a deepening of the Savannah River shipping channel is now 90% complete.