Port of Savannah Sees Cargo Volumes Dip in January

The Port of Savannah saw total cargo volumes dip 11.5 percent last month compared to January 2022 amid reduced orders in retail and manufacturing, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced today.

The Port of Savannah handled a total of 421,714 TEUs in January, dragged down by a 16 percent year over year drop in imports. Compared to pre-pandemic numbers, last month came in 11.7 percent ahead of January 2020 when the port handled 377,671 TEUs.

The falling cargo volumes come after Port of Savannah handled a record 5.9 million TEUs in 2022.

U.S. exports were a bright spot for GPA in January as loaded container exports from the Port of Savannah growing 21 percent year over year to 110,305 TEUs. Meanwhile, the number of empty export containers via Savannah declined 34,650 TEUs on reduced demand for Asian goods served by the empty boxes.

The GPA said weather also played a role, delaying six vessels slated to call Savannah in late January to February.

GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten said the Authority is using the current reduction in traffic to make progress on infrastructure projects that will be needed as demand returns.

“Being prepared to take advantage of opportunities as they arise requires steady leadership and an eye toward long-term trends,” Wooten said. “Our board’s commitment to constant infrastructure improvement, even during down times, means our customers have a ready partner in growth when they need to expand their Georgia operations.”

The GPA provided the following updates on capital improvement projects:

A project to allow Garden City Terminal Berth 1 to serve larger vessels is now 80 percent complete. The first four of eight massive cranes slated to work Berth 1 arrived Feb. 9. When Berth 1 improvements are finished in July, the port will be able to simultaneously serve four vessels capable of carrying 16,000+ TEUs, as well as three additional ships. The enhanced berth will add 1.5 million TEUs of annual berth capacity. The improvements will provide faster vessel service and better accommodate the big ships calling on Savannah.

Adjacent to the Port of Savannah’s main container terminal, the Garden City Terminal West project will deliver another 90 acres of new storage, supported by 15 electric rubber-tired gantry cranes. Now 20 percent complete, this project will add 1 million TEUs of annual capacity, coming online in phases in 2023 and 2024.

Along with a new cross-dock facility and renovations to Ocean Terminal, the projects will increase the Port of Savannah’s annual capacity from 6 million to 7.5 million TEUs in 2023, and to 9 million TEUs by 2025. Learn more about GPA’s growth plans here.

Port of Brunswick

At the Port of Brunswick, trade in autos and heavy machinery grew 9 percent in January, up 4,600 units to 57,127. For the fiscal year to date, Brunswick is up 16.7 percent to more than 411,000 Roll-on/Roll-off units.

To accommodate Ro/Ro cargo carried by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean, GPA improving Colonel’s Island Terminal. Construction has started on 350,000 square feet of near-dock warehousing that will serve auto processing, as well as three additional buildings and 85 acres of auto storage on the south side of the island. The expansion will grow annual capacity in Brunswick from 1.2 million to 1.4 million units of Ro/Ro cargo.

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up