Port of Savannah moves record 4.2M container units in FY18

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Georgia's busy seaports are again smashing records for the amount of cargo moving across their docks.

The Georgia Ports Authority reported Monday that the Port of Savannah handled a record 4.2 million container units of imports and exports in fiscal 2018, which ended June 30. That's an increase of 8.4 percent over the previous fiscal year. The ports of Savannah and Brunswick combined handled 36 million tons of total cargo, their largest amount ever.

Griff Lynch is the executive director for Georgia's seaports. He called Savannah's container record "an important milestone." The port reported in January that it surpassed 4 million container units for the first time in the 2017 calendar year.

Lynch attributed the growth to a booming Southeast population and larger ships arriving via an expanded Panama Canal.