This story is free to read.

Milestone for Port of Savannah: 4M cargo containers in 2017

The container ship COSCO Development is guided under the Talmadge Bridge, Thursday morning, May 11, 2017, in Savannah, Ga, as the vessel sails up the Savannah River to the Port of Savannah. The ship is the largest vessel ever to call on the U.S. East Coast. (Steve Bisson/Savannah Morning News via AP) The container ship COSCO Development is guided under the Talmadge Bridge, Thursday morning, May 11, 2017, in Savannah, Ga, as the vessel sails up the Savannah River to the Port of Savannah. The ship is the largest vessel ever to call on the U.S. East Coast. (Steve Bisson/Savannah Morning News via AP)

By Associated Press January 22, 2018 1 min read

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The Port of Savannah is celebrating a big milestone — moving 4 million cargo containers in a single year.

The Georgia Ports Authority announced the breakthrough Monday. Savannah’s docks handled just over 4 million container units of imports and exports for the first time during the 2017 calendar year.

That’s an increase of 11 percent over 2016 and comes less than four years after the Savannah port surpassed 3 million container units for the first time in a 12-month period.

Georgia ports executive director Griff Lynch says Savannah saw more growth than expected last year from giant ships arriving through an expanded Panama Canal.

Lynch said the Port of Savannah will likely remain above 4 million containers when its 2018 fiscal year ends June 30, but “it’s not a lock.”