July 31 - The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) handled record numbers of containerised and ro-ro cargo in its 2015 fiscal year, and posted its highest ever-recorded total tonnage.

Total tonnage for the year ending June 30 reached 31.69 million tonnes, up 7.8 percent compared with the same period in 2014.

While container volumes grew by 17 percent year-on-year, breakbulk cargo handled at GPA terminals also grew by 7.6 percent to 2.83 million tonnes. Meanwhile, Brunswick and Savannah moved a record 714,021 units of ro-ro cargo, which is a 1.9 percent improvement over the 2014 fiscal year.

"Part of ensuring reliability is investing in port infrastructure," said GPA board chairman James Walters. "Our development plans will follow our current practice of maintaining capacity at least 20 percent above demand - not only in Brunswick, but in Savannah, where we are buying four new ship-to-shore cranes and 30 more gantry cranes. Investments such as these will enable GPA to handle expanding cargo volumes both now and in the future."

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