SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – The Georgia Port Authority said Tuesday that while it moved a record number of cars across Brunswick’s piers last year, goods shipped to Savannah in cargo containers fell 16%. did.
The Port of Brunswick offloaded more than 775,000 vehicles and heavy equipment on and off ships in the 2023 calendar year, when U.S. auto sales recorded the largest increase in more than a decade. This is the highest total for vehicles and machinery at the port ever, and an increase of more than 15% compared to the previous year.
The news comes as Port Authority CEO Griff Lynch has set a goal for Brunswick to surpass the Port of Baltimore as the nation’s No. 1 port for importing and exporting automobiles. Georgia state agencies are investing $262 million in renovations and expansions to give the Port of Brunswick, located about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Savannah, room for growth.
“We’ve been investing in Brunswick. We’ve been creating capacity in Brunswick,” Lynch said in an interview, adding that there is potential for further growth in 2024. “Autos are doing well. I mean, the economy will drive autos. We’ll have to see how that goes. But for now, they’re strong.”
Car shipments to Georgia soared last year as sales surged amid pent-up demand after a computer chip shortage slowed down assembly lines.
More cars are expected to be sent to Brunswick’s docks in the coming years as Georgia looks to become the electric vehicle manufacturing hub of the South. Hyundai is building the nation’s first EV-only factory west of Savannah, and electric truck maker Rivian is building a factory east of Atlanta. Kia Motors announced last summer that it would expand its West Point factory to build electric SUVs.
Meanwhile, the Port of Savannah saw a noticeable drop in cargo being transported in containers, giant metal boxes used to package retail goods from home appliances to frozen chicken. Savannah is her fourth busiest port in the United States for containerized cargo, after New York, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, California.
Savannah handled 4.9 million container imports and exports last year, a 16% decrease compared to calendar 2022. Lynch said retailers ordered less inventory as inflation and rising interest rates dampened consumer spending.
That may be changing. Savannah’s container volume in January remains on track to exceed the same month last year, and Lynch said he expects this trend to continue in the coming months.
“I fully believe that if you look at February, March and April, you should see positive year-over-year numbers,” Lynch said. “The numbers are stronger than we expected.”