Savannah’s plans must come through

“The Savannah Harbour must be prepared for the demands of global shipping after the Panama Canal Expansion is completed in 2014,” said Mr Foltz. “With larger vessels already calling on the Port of Savannah, it is imperative that the Savannah Harbour Expansion Project is approved and remains on schedule.”

Mr Foltz also said bigger ships were already calling at the port, adding that Savannah has experienced a rebound between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. The 9.7% increase in boxes for the year allowed the Georgia Port Authority to return to near record levels reached in the same period in 2008.

The GPA posted its best year ever for exports, moving 1.14m teu, a 15.5% increase compared with the previous fiscal year, and its market share increased to nearly 12% of the total US container exports based on tonnage. Mr Foltz also pointed out that Georgia’s ports have been able to maintain an attractive import/export balance throughout the years.