Peach Tree Times

The Georgia Ports Authority recently approved plans to accelerate finishing 1.6 million twenty-foot-equivalent (TFE) container units in annual capacity at the Garden City Terminal.

The GPA announced on its website Dec. 6 that its Board approved a $24.4 million purchase of nine electric-powered rubber-tired gantry cranes to support the expansion. Executive Director Griff Lynch laid out the details of the expansion at the meeting. The timeline projects the GPA will open 670,000 TEUs of new annual capacity at the terminal by January, another 155,000 TEUs in early March, and an additional 850,000 by June, according to the GPA announcement.

The move received praise from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who posted his support on social media.

‘’Georgia continues to lead in identifying solutions to our nation’s #SupplyChain challenges," Kemp posted on Twitter Dec. 6. "This is a testament to the leadership and innovation at America’s most efficient gateway for containerized trade - @GaPorts.’’ 

More than 504,000 TEU's went into the Port of Savannah's docks throughout October, a 8.7% increase from October 2020, the GPA reports, surpassing the previous record of 498,000 TEUs set in March 2021.

“After our busiest month ever in October, this new container space is coming online just in time,” GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten said in the announcement. “By expediting the projects needed to ensure the free flow of cargo, we’re addressing our customers’ concerns today, and working to re-establish our longtime practice of keeping capacity 20 percent above current demand.”

The new Atlanta yard will avoid more than 500 roundtrip truck miles per box, with anticipated volumes of 1,200 containers a month, according to the GPA.

“Moving more than half a million TEUs across our docks in one month is the result of new capacity already coming online and the incredible teamwork of GPA employees, the International Longshoremen’s Association and port customers,” GPA Board Executive Director Griff Lynch said.