Georgia Ports Authority achieves record Ro/Ro in FY2023
The Georgia Ports Authority handled record Roll-on/Roll-off volumes in Fiscal Year 2023, at more than 723,500 units, an increase of 18 percent or nearly 109,000 units over the previous year, according to the company's release.
Ro/Ro imports were up by 99,000 units year-over-year, or 24 percent, while exports increased 11,500 units, or more than 7 percent. Besides expansion of existing business, GPA also added Nissan as a Brunswick customer in FY2023. Colonel’s Island Terminal now handles Nissan imports from Japan and Mexico.
According to the most recent PIERS data, the Port of Savannah achieved 11.2 percent market share in container trade among U.S. ports on the East, West and Gulf coasts through April, its highest ever.
A total of 5.4 million twenty-foot equivalent container units crossed GPA docks in FY2023, down 6.7 percent or 387,000 TEUs compared to FY2022, GPA’s all-time high. However, when compared to pre-pandemic volumes of 4.5 million TEUs in FY2019, GPA’s performance achieved an increase of 20 percent. Its compound annual growth rate since FY2019 is 4.7 percent per year.
Record trade at the Appalachian Regional Port was another highlight in FY2023. The inland terminal handled its highest volumes ever, at 33,700 rail lifts, an increase of more than 18 percent or 5,200 containers.
To prepare for future demand, GPA is investing $1.9 billion in current infrastructure projects. Enhancements include renovations to Berth 1 at Garden City Terminal, increasing berth capacity there by 25 percent. An improved Berth 1 reopened to vessel service July 20, providing faster turn times for ocean carriers.
A new transload facility will deliver greater speed and flexibility for customers in cargo handling, while the Garden City West development adds 100 acres of long-term storage available at lower cost than in the regular container yard.
Upgrades now under construction at the Port of Brunswick include 640,000 square feet of new processing space across five new buildings, and 122 acres of additional auto storage. The new acreage will increase Ro/Ro capacity from 1.2 million to 1.4 million vehicles per year. Two near-dock warehouses and three buildings on the south side of Colonel’s Island start coming online in August. GPA has also won federal approval to construct a fourth Ro/Ro berth at Colonel’s Island. Currently in the engineering phase, Berth 4 will better accommodate carriers in the 7,000-vehicle class.
Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 561,000 jobs throughout the state annually, and contribute $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue.
