'In the month of October alone we surpassed 200,000 teus for the first time in our history,' said Marchand. 'Equally as impressive is the increased volume was handled without delays at our gates or on our terminal.'
Port of Savannah handled 207,622 teus in the month of October 2006, an 8.6% increase over the same period last year. During the first four months of fiscal year 2007, the GPA handled 765,084 teus, a 10.9% increase over the same period last year.
'I would like to thank the dedicated men and women of the Georgia Ports Authority for their accomplishments during this year's peak season,' said Marchand. 'Vessel productivity of 39 moves per crane hour was achieved and continues to provide outstanding service to our shipping customers. Yard turn times are well below industry standards for a two-way turnaround at our facility. Vessel crane downtime remained below one percent for October providing our customers the highest level of crane reliability.'
Marchand said the Authority would bring an additional 15 Rubber Tire Gantry Cranes on-line in July 2007 and four additional ship-to-shore cranes by May 2008 to accommodate additional business.
In other news:
- The Port of Brunswick's Colonel's Island Terminal handled 31,914 vehicles and pieces of heavy machinery during the month of October, a 15.7% increase or 4,340 additional units over the same period last year. Hyundai and Kia imports and Mercedes exports lead the gains.
- Total tonnage handled at the GPA reached 1.79 million tons, a 10% increase and the second highest monthly tonnage total ever experienced by the Authority.
- Bulk tonnage for October was up 107% for the month of October thanks to larger than expected increases in anhydrous ammonia and asphalt in Savannah, and soybeans, soybean meal and peanut hulls in Brunswick.
- Intermodal rail traffic at the Garden City Terminal in Savannah continued to experience double digit gains with a 14.8% growth rate for the month of October.
