July container volumes at the Port of Savannah were 17% higher than in June but 16% lower than in July 2022, which was the busiest July on record for the Georgia Ports Authority.

GPA handled 447,590 twenty-foot equivalent units in July, compared with 381,825 TEUs in June and 530,800 TEUs in July 2022.

The reopening of container berth 1 at Garden City Terminal may have helped GPA see an increase in volumes in July, according to GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch. Now that dock renovations have been completed at the container berth, annual berth capacity has increased by 25% and the terminal has an expanded ability to serve vessels with a capacity greater than 16,000 TEUs.

GPA is also anticipating a transload facility to come online in September and long-term storage to open up in November at Garden City Terminal West. There are plans to renovate the berths and container yard at Ocean Terminal as well.

The ports authority is also awaiting the arrival of four new ship-to-shore cranes later this month, which will become operational in December. Four other new ship-to-shore cranes arrived in February and were operational in July, GPA said.

With these expansions and renovations, GPA expects container capacity at the Port of Savannah to grow by approximately 3.5 million TEUs per year, with annual capacity reaching 10 million TEUs by 2026.

“The expanded berth and four of the largest ship-to-shore cranes in North America came online last month, providing faster vessel service and an increase of 1.5 million TEUs in annual berth capacity,” GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy said in a release. “The Port of Savannah can now serve five big ships simultaneously, and has eliminated its vessel backlog.”

Meanwhile, volumes for roll-on/roll-off cargo in July reflected a “strong showing in fiscal vehicles” that was seen toward the end of GPA’s 2022-2023 fiscal year and into the first month of fiscal year 2023-2024, according to Lunch. GPA’s new fiscal year began July 1.

GPA handled nearly 71,000 units of autos and heavy machinery in July, a 23% increase year over year.

“The primary driver [for the increase] is increased production supported by better microchip availability,” Lynch said.

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