The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) achieved its busiest April on record last month, handling 466,633 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) and 3.7 million tons of total cargo.
It also reported a 38% increase in container trade for the month of April.
New officials elected
The GPA board also elected new officers for the coming fiscal year.
Joel Wootenwill, a founding member of the law firm of Butler Wooten & Peak, LLP, serves as chairman, Kent Fountain as vice-chairman — President & CEO of Southeastern Gin & Peanut — and Alec Poitevint, chairman and president of Southeastern Minerals, Inc., as secretary-treasurer.
“Joel Wooten’s eight-year tenure on the GPA board, as well as his leadership across business, law, and education, make him an excellent choice to continue guiding the ports of Savannah and Brunswick through the current phase of phenomenal growth,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
“Along with his fellow board members and the rest of the leadership team at GPA, I am confident Georgia’s deepwater ports are in good hands.”
Wooten and Fountain’s election represents an advancement from their previous positions of vice-chairman and secretary-treasurer, respectively.
Poitevint, a former GPA board chairman, was serving as a member prior to becoming the Authority’s next secretary-treasurer.
“Kent and Alec’sexperience and understanding will continue to be valuable assets as we prepare to accommodate the higher volumes we expect to move in the future,” said Wooten.
“As a board, we are focused on delivering a world-class customer experience, and attracting new business and jobs to Georgia.”
5.2 million TEUs by 2021
Wooten noted that outgoing Chairman Will McKnight presided over a period of major growth during his two years at the helm.
Annual container trade has increased from 4.4 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in the Fiscal Year 2020 to an expected 5.2 million TEUs by the end of FY2021 (July 1-June 30) — .which is a new record.
Also at the meeting, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch reported the Port of Savannah handled 466,633 TEUs in April, its second-busiest month on record, after March’s 498,000 TEUs.
The Port of Savannah’s April container trade represented an increase of 38%, or more than 128,700 TEUs compared to the same month last year.
“Demand for products and services both domestically and abroad is driving significant gains in Georgia’s cargo volumes. The supply chain continues to experience unprecedented increases due to the reopening of the local, regional and national economies,” Lynch said.
“We could not have achieved such phenomenal growth without the dedication of our GPA employees and the collaboration of our supply chain partners.”
Intermodal performance up
GPA also said the rate of growth in intermodal rail lifts at Garden City Terminal slightly outpaced overall container growth, increasing by 39% (13,500 lifts), for a total of 48,000 twenty- and forty-foot containers. GPA’s intermodal trade accounted for more than 87,000 TEUs in April.
To handle its expanding rail trade, the GPA will complete its Mason Mega Rail Terminal this year, doubling its annual rail lift capacity to 2 million TEUs. When complete, it will be the largest on-terminal rail facility for a port in North America.
April trade-in Roll-on/Roll-off cargo expanded by 50% (21,200 units) at the Port of Brunswick, where Colonel’s Island Terminal moved 63,440 units of cars, trucks, and heavy machinery. For the fiscal year to date, Colonel’s Island has handled 570,260 units, up by 10% or 52,000 vehicles.