The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) reported a double-digit year-on-year increase in its volumes for March.

The port handled 436,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units in March, for an increase of 18.5% in trade compared to the same month last year.

“With double-digit growth in the first quarter, we’re excited about where we’re going and thankful for the continued trust our customers place in Georgia Ports,” said Griff Lynch, president and CEO of GPA.

GPA has achieved a growth of 11% in total container trade during the first three months of the calendar year 2024. 

In its announcement, GPA said intermodal rail cargo reached 44,902 containers at the Port of Savannah in March, an increase of 22% and 17% fiscal year-to-date.

“GPA’s intermodal team and our partners, CSX and Norfolk Southern, are doing phenomenal work, with cargo reaching inland destinations only three days after crossing our docks,” Lynch said. “Cargo discharges from a vessel, arrives at inland destinations the next day and is available to customers by day three.”

GPA noted that Mason Mega Rail Terminal, the largest on-port facility in North America, supports its intermodal cargo expansion.

In the statement, GPA said rail dwell is less than one day, with daily rail departures carrying cargo to major markets such as Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta.

“Growing rail infrastructure in Savannah and across the region extends port services to more customers, cuts transportation costs and reduces emissions,” said Kent Fountain, chairman of the GPA Board,

“Mason Mega Rail, combined with rail hubs in Atlanta; our Appalachian Regional Port (in Murray County, GA); and the soon-coming Blue Ridge Connector help avoid traffic congestion by shifting containers from long-haul trucks to rail,” he added.

The Blue Ridge Connector is under construction near Gainesville, GA, along the manufacturing and logistics corridor of Interstate 85. It will be GPA’s second-operated inland network Georgia facility, linking Northeast Georgia with the Port of Savannah’s 37 global container ship services. The $134 million facility is expected to open in 2026.

Another aspect of GPA’s growing infrastructure is Garden City Terminal West, a new 100-acre container yard adjacent to the Port of Savannah’s main terminal. 

GPA noted that the site features a new truck gate and secure roadway link to Garden City Terminal. Lynch said the additional capacity improves supply chain flexibility when paired with Georgia Ports’ inland rail reach.

“Garden City Terminal West and Mason Mega Rail Terminal combine to provide capacity, range and new long-term storage options,” Lynch added. 

“Importers who need to store cargo until it is needed for retail or manufacturing, as well as exporters who need to shift containers to an off-site location, can tap GCT West to lower costs,” he added.