The Georgia Ports Authority’s central challenge of 2019 is maintaining our high customer service standards in the face of exponential cargo growth.
The Port of Savannah continues to be the nation’s fastest growing major container terminal. For the fiscal year to date, Savannah’s Garden City Terminal has experienced 8 percent growth in TEU compared to the same period last year, and that is on top of 8.4 percent growth in FY 2018.
As the fourth-busiest container port in the US, Savannah is on track to move approximately 4.6 million TEU by the end of FY 2019.
Our growth creates a unique challenge and opportunity. Thankfully, the Port of Savannah has ample room and resources to expand.
The authority’s latest order of six new ship-to-shore cranes will bring our total fleet to 36 by 2020. By 2028, we will have 42 cranes on dock. Ten additional RTGs will arrive by June 2019, bringing the total RTG fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156.
We’re doubling the size of our Gate 8 to 16 lanes to allow for the continued free flow of truck traffic.
Other infrastructure projects include the Mason Mega Rail facility, which will double the Port of Savannah’s rail capacity to 1 million lifts and begin coming online in 2019. Container storage expansions, berth improvements, and last-mile road projects are also slated for 2019.
Off terminal, developers have added more than 6 million square feet of industrial space in the past year, a record building pace for Savannah, according to Collier’s International. Strong market demand has resulted in an unprecedented 9.75 million square feet currently under construction in Savannah.
Georgia and the GPA are committed to investing in the infrastructure needed to ensure the fast turn times and reliable services.