In August, the Port of Savannah handled 413,300 TEUs, a decrease of 28% from August 2022 with intermodal traffic accounting for 21.6% of all containers.
Furthermore, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) reported 61,300 units of vehicles and machinery in Roll-on/Roll-off cargo last month, an increase of 8% over the same month last year. Colonel’s Island Terminal in the Port of Brunswick handled the majority of the Ro/Ro trade with 59,720 units.
“With our Mason Mega Rail Terminal fully operational, we now have the capacity to shift more of our long-haul cargo off state highways and onto rail, which both improves fuel efficiency and reduces traffic congestion,” stated Griff Lynch, GPA president and CEO.
Lynch revealed at the GPA Board meeting that Georgia Ports and CSX have collaborated to provide seven-day-a-week rail departures between the Port of Savannah’s Mason Mega Rail Terminal and the railroad’s CCX Yard in Rocky Mount, NC.
According to the Georgia Ports Authority, customers will have a three-day transit time from vessel discharge to cargo availability with the Carolina Connector direct rail service. As Savannah is the first port of call for ocean carriers crossing the Panama Canal, cargo will be available at CCX before containers could even be unloaded from a vessel at ports farther up the coast.
“We’re adding new infrastructure and inland connectivity to achieve this in our US$1.9 billion port master plan,” stated Kent Fountain, GPA Chairman.
