Savannah's February box rate soars 20.6pc to 202,620 TEU

GEORGIA's port authority has recorded three months of double-digit growth in trade volume, with container shipments for February up 20.6 per cent year-on-year at 202,620 TEUs - a testament to the state's rising share of US-bound Asian cargo.

Overall tonnage for the month, the bulk of which was handled by Savannah, saw a 29.7 per cent gain over the same period in 2009.

"Superior services, logistics and facilities allow the Georgia Ports Authority [GPA] to grow its market and further establish Georgia's ports as a strategic gateway in the South Atlantic," said the GPA chief Curtis Foltz.

Many operators have opted to bypass the US west coast in favour of east coast ports such as Savannah using Panama, or in the case of shipments from Singapore and its western neighbours, the Suez Canal as well.

(Source: Schednet)