SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – The Port of Savannah saw a whopping 20% increase in shipping containers moving across its docks in 2021 as U.S. seaports scrambled to keep up with a surge in cargo that crammed container yards and forced ships to line up and wait at sea.
The Georgia Ports Authority reported Tuesday that Savannah’s port handled a record 5.6 million container units of imports and exports last year – an increase of 1 million container units from the 2020 calendar year.
The crush of cargo brought record volumes to Savannah during all 12 months of last year. As the economy rebounded from the coronavirus pandemic, retailers rushed to refill inventories and kept ordering to ensure shelves stayed stocked while online shopping also continued to grow, said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority.
“It literally is three to four years of growth in one year,” Lynch said. He added: “It didn’t come out without pain.”
Savannah has the fourth-busiest U.S. seaport for cargo shipped in containers – giant metal boxes that can easily loaded onto ships, trucks and trains to transport retail goods ranging from consumer electronics to frozen chickens.