Savannah volume down 11% in January

The Port of Savannah saw a 11.5 percent decline in containers handled at 421,714 TEUs during January 2023 compared to the same month last year but was up 11.7 percent compared to January 2020 when the port handled 377,671 TEUs.

The decrease was due to reduced orders in retail and manufacturing, resulting in import loads softening by 39,850 TEUs, or 16 percent. "Similarly, the export of empty containers via Savannah declined 34,650 TEUs on reduced demand for Asian goods served by the empty boxes," says an official release.

Weather also played a role, delaying six vessels scheduled to call Savannah in late January to the next month, the release added.

Loaded container exports increased 21 percent in January at 110,305 TEUs, an increase of 19,419 TEUs.

“We’re excited to support a strong month for American farms and factories at the Port of Savannah,” says Griff Lynch, Executive Director, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA). “We achieved particularly robust growth last month in export trade lanes to Europe and the Mediterranean.”

Joel Wooten, Chairman, GPA adds that the current reduction in traffic is being used to make significant progress on infrastructure projects that will be needed as demand returns. “Being prepared to take advantage of opportunities as they arise requires steady leadership and an eye toward long-term trends,” says Wooten. “Our board’s commitment to constant infrastructure improvement, even during down times, means our customers have a ready partner in growth when they need to expand their Georgia operations.”

At the Port of Brunswick, trade in autos and heavy machinery increased 9 percent in January, up 4,600 units to 57,127. For the fiscal year to date, Brunswick is up 16.7 percent to more than 411,000 Roll-on/Roll-off units, the release said.