Savannah's annual container volume fell 8.5 per cent

The Port of Savannah's annual container volume fell 8.5 per cent to 2,404,965 TEU in FY2009 ending June 30 from 2,616,125 TEU the year before, said departing Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) executive director Doug Marchand.

According to the Shipping Gazette, refrigerated cargo, which has grown 85.2 per cent in the last five years, recorded a 10.7 per cent growth, he said.

"Despite the international slowdown, GPA has increased services and business," said Mr Marchand. "Our ability to weather this storm is due in large part to the addition of 12 new or reconfigured services in fiscal year 2009." As the economy begins to turn around and vessels begin loading to capacity, he said services will enable the port to "rebound faster than our peers with a much larger market share".

Savannah's selection by South Korea's Kia Motors and its part suppliers to ship parts and supplies to its Georgia plant will bring in more than 15,000 TEU per annum in the first year of operation, he said.

With the completion of the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), Savannah has become the first east coast port to have two on-terminal ICTFs. During the year it also bought four super postpanamax cranes and 15 rubber-tyre gantry cranes.

Overall throughput at GPA terminals including Bainbridge, Brunswick, Columbus and Savannah dropped 10.5 per cent while tonnage declined 12.4 per cent in FY2009 over the previous year said GPA chairman Steve Green in a statement released earlier by the port authorities. In comparison, US box traffic was reported to have fell 30 per cent year on year in the first half of CY09 by PIERS, he said.

Georgia's deepwater ports and inland barge terminals employ more than 286,476 people annually and provide a US$14.9 billion profit and $55.8 billion in revenue.

(Source: Transport Weekly)