Georgia Port Records Strongest Ever Month
On May 21st, The Georgia Ports Authority reported April as its busiest month ever for automobile shipments. The 44% increase in volume was a result of the closure of the Port of Baltimore, which can be credited to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26th. The second-busiest U.S. port for autos, Brunswick, moved more than 80,000 vehicles and heavy machinery units across its docks last month.
The increase in volume is consistent with recent data, as the Brunswick port had its second-busiest month of record for autos and heavy machinery in March, which had mostly passed prior to the bridge collapse.
Auto shipments to Georgia have been booming since last year, when U.S. auto sales saw their biggest increase in a decade. That led to the Port of Brunswick handling a record 775,000 automobiles and heavy machinery units in calendar year 2023. This surge is certainly being felt in the dry van space as well as automotive loadings continue to impact loadings projections.
