Savannah volume rises 9.7pc to 2,637,743 TEU in fiscal 2010

THE US Port of Savannah has announced that financial year 2010 was its best year ever for exports, environmental initiatives and future plans.

"The Port of Savannah experienced a remarkable recovery in FY2010 (July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010)," said Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) executive director Curtis Foltz.

"The 9.7 per cent increase in TEU for the year allowed the GPA to return to near record levels reached in FY2008 and continued its momentum gaining market share across the southeast."

A breakdown of the results show that the ports of Savannah and Brunswick handled during the reporting period a total of 24,288,789 in cargo tonnage, up 7.3 compared to the previous financial year; container cargo amounted to 2,637,743 TEU, up 9.7 per cent; bulk tonnage fell 7.4 per cent to 2,185,263; and breakbulk tonnage declined by 14.8 per cent to 1,596,624 tons.

In FY2010, the GPA's ports handled 1,139,983 TEU in exports, an increase of 15.5 per cent compared with the previous fiscal year. During FY2010 the GPA handled nearly 12 per cent of the total US loaded container exports based on tonnage. The top five export commodities for FY2010 were wood pulp, paper and paperboard, food, clay and chemicals, a statement from port authorities said.

"Georgia's deepwater ports are one of the brightest spots in the Georgia economy right now," said GPA chairman Alec Poitevint. "Savannah has maintained its place as the fourth largest US container port by having the best workforce, unsurpassed infrastructure, room to grow and a sound marketing plan to capitalise on its strengths."

Said Mr Foltz: "The Savannah Harbour must be prepared for the demands of global shipping after the Panama Canal Expansion is completed in 2014. With larger vessels already calling on the Port of Savannah, it is imperative that the Savannah Harbour Expansion Project (SHEP) is approved and remains on schedule."

In FY2010, the GPA recycled 94 per cent of its construction debris for its nine major construction projects. The GPA has also increased its treatment of storm water runoff by nearly 800 per cent in the last decade. Through the GPA's crane electrification, use of refrigerated container racks, the upcoming rubber-tyre gantry crane re-power project and use of fuel additives, the Port of Savannah expects to reduce use of more than 4.5 million gallons of fuel annually.
(Source:www.schednet.com)