(The Center Square) — The Georgia Ports Authority handled more than 723,500 roll-on/roll-off units in fiscal 2023, a record volume, while it reported a decrease from fiscal 2022 in the number of twenty-foot equivalent container units handled.
The Ro/Ro volume was roughly 18%, or 109,000 units, more than last year. Ro/Ro imports were up 24%, or 99,000 units, year-over-year, while exports increased by more than 7%, or 11,500 units.
In an announcement, GPA President/CEO Griff Lynch said the port “achieved strong growth in the import and export of heavy machinery, while auto manufacturers’ improved microchip supply also meant an increase in vehicles.”
“This continues a trend stemming from the U.S. Southeast’s fast-growing population, increased domestic production and a shift in overseas manufacturing toward India and Southeast Asia, favoring delivery via Savannah,” Lynch said.
Concurrently, GPA reported 5.4 million TEUs in fiscal 2023, a decrease of 6.7%, or 387,000, from the all-time high reported in fiscal 2022. However, GPA said its volumes remained higher than the 4.5 million TEUs in fiscal 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the GPA is spending $1.9 billion on infrastructure improvements. The projects include upgrades at the Port of Brunswick to increase Ro/Ro capacity to 1.4 million vehicles annually, up from 1.2 million and an increase of Garden City Terminal’s Berth 1 capacity by 25%.
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