The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) saw its busiest February on record, moving 479,850 twenty-foot equivalent container units, a 6% increase over the same month last year.

GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said the signing of the new six-year labour contract between the International Longshoremen's Association and the US Maritime Alliance will ensure stability and support the country's growing trade.

Record rail, truck gate performance

GPA said its intermodal team set a new record for rail moves completed in a 24-hour period, with 2,246 rail lifts on February 28.

The Port of Savannah's Mason Mega Rail Terminal handles six trains per day, or 42 per week.

Meanwhile, GPA said its dwell time between an import box offloading from a vessel and departing on rail is 19-24 hours.

"Despite the high volumes, the container field remained fluid, with yard and gate teams coordinating to keep trucks moving," the announcement said.

It noted that Garden City Terminal also set a new record for weekly truck gate moves, handling 78,950 transactions in the last week of February.

"We were able to accommodate the increased trade while maintaining excellent service for our motor carriers and customers," said Ed McCarthy, chief operating officer at GPA.

"Single container moves averaged only 35 minutes for truckers on terminal, while dual container moves averaged just 54 minutes," he added.

Dual container moves, with drivers delivering an export and picking up an import container, accounted for 85% of the Port of Savannah's container business in February, aiding overall efficiency.

Performance continued strong into March, with a single-day truck gate record of 16,430 transactions set on March 11 at Garden City Terminal.

Reducing vessel idle time at berth

Gateway Terminals and the local ILA have agreed to add three new start times for work vessels: 6 a.m., 3 p.m., and 9 p.m.

GPA said this will make a big difference in turning ships around faster.

"With a total of eight start times and our 24-hour vessel service, crane operators and crews from the ILA will start moving containers on and off ships more quickly, reducing vessel time at dock," Lynch said.

The Port of Savannah, which currently averages 35 vessels per week, will also increase vessel capacity by using a new lay berth at Ocean Terminal starting in May.

Staging vessels at Ocean Terminal will drastically reduce the transition time between large ships departing and arriving.

When the lay berth is used, the time a berth is open and unused at Garden City Terminal will improve by up to 75%, from 12 hours to 3 hours. Lynch said this will allow the port to work approximately two more ships per week or 100 more vessels per year.

A second lay berth at Ocean Terminal will come online in mid-2026, further increasing Savannah's vessel capacity.

GPA anticipates investing US$4.2 billion in the next ten years as part of its port master plan to expand cargo handling capabilities to support future supply chain requirements.