The Georgia Ports Authority's (GPA) container terminals handled 266,930 TEU in April, an increase of 8,000 units, or 3.1 per cent, putting the Port of Savannah on track to move three million TEU this fiscal year, according to Shipping Gazette.
Total tonnage rose by 4.6 per cent, or 111,386 tons, compared to a year ago, reaching 2.52 million tons.
"Our performance in April and for the fiscal year to date is an outgrowth of our success in winning new customers and improving services for existing port users," said GPA chairman Robert Jepson.
"Consistent investments in improved infrastructure have led to GPA's ability to deliver cargo to market faster than ever before."
This comes while the board has approved US$86.5 million in funding to purchase four new ship-to-shore cranes and 20 new rubber-tyre gantry cranes in Savannah's Garden City Terminal.
The new cranes designed by Konecranes of Finland and assembled in Nantong, China, are due to arrive in February 2016, raising the number of super postpanamax cranes to 20 and postpanamax cranes to nine.
These enormous cranes can reach across ships 22 containers wide to a height of 136 feet above the dock.
The Ports of Brunswick and Savannah also moved 67,963 auto and machinery units in April, up 17.8 per cent compared to figures from last year.
Compared to April 2013, breakbulk cargo saw the largest jump of any single business sector during the month, improving by 26.4 per cent, or 48,597 tons, to reach 232,834 tons.