In Savannah, the Authority handled a record 2.95 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) containers, an additional 130,000 units, or a 3.5 percent increase over calendar year 2010. In Brunswick, the Authority handled a record 495,000 auto and machinery units, up 23 percent from the previous calendar year.  

“The Ports of Savannah and Brunswick achieved record volumes in 2011 despite the nation’s economic challenges,” said Foltz. “As our ports grow market share, Georgia’s deepwater terminals provide American exporters an increasingly vital gateway to global trade.”

Additionally, the Port of Savannah, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, is second only to the Port of Los Angeles for the export of American containerized goods. In CY2011 alone, exports accounted for over 15.5 million tons, or 59 percent of the Authority’s trade.  
 
“Georgia’s position as the number-two export port in the nation provides a clear and compelling case for why the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) is so critical for this state, region and country,” said GPA’s Chairman of the Board Alec Poitevint. “The work to deepen the Savannah Harbor up to 48 feet is precisely the type of effort that will bring sustainable economic recovery to the United States.”

Calendar Year 2011 also marked important developments in Georgia’s effort to finalize the SHEP study and move the project toward construction. These efforts include the public review and revision of study documents and securing a total of $134 million in state funds with an additional $46.7 million proposed by Governor Nathan Deal.

“By making this financial commitment, Governor Deal and the General Assembly have sent a powerful message to our customers and stakeholders that the Savannah harbor deepening is a top priority for the State of Georgia,” said Poitevint.  

The new Americas Europe Express service will connect Charleston to Northern Europe through direct calls at Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and Felixstowe, as well as Latin America through the transshipment hub of Manzanillo, Panama. The double call in Charleston adds 104 vessel calls a year for the local maritime community.

Participating in the Americas Europe Express service are the alliance carriers of APL, operating three vessels, and Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui OSK Lines, operating one vessel apiece.

Significantly, Charleston is one of only two U.S. ports – and the only port in the region – selected for the new service.

“Double calls in Charleston will enable the New World Alliance’s network of customers ample coverage across the U.S. Southeast and beyond,” said Paul McClintock, senior vice president and chief commercial officer for the South Carolina Ports Authority. “This also provides the region’s exporters additional reach to markets in Latin America and Europe where there is demand.”

The first vessels on the service will call Charleston in early March with calls by the APL Shanghai, sailing westbound from Rotterdam on February 29, and the APL Indonesia, sailing eastbound from Manzanillo on March 5.

The report also noted that developing countries’ share of global trade also increased from approximately 30% to more than 40% from 2008 through 2010 alone. Global seaborne trade, which represents 90% of world trade, reached 8.4 billion metric tons in 2010, and is carried by a global fleet of 103,392 commercial vessels as of the first of this year.

The UNCTAD Report cites the improved efficiency and reduced costs of modern port operations which have contributed significantly to the increase in global trade and overall economic output, but notes that lower costs are not uniformly enjoyed.

“What these figures and trends tell us, very emphatically, is that the future of the shipping industry is heavily weighted toward developing markets in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and to a certain extent Central Europe, and that aggressive infrastructure investment is required right now to keep up with the pace of that projected growth” stated APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer, adding, “to that end APM Terminals has committed to approximately $3 billion USD in new infrastructure development and existing facility expansion in 2011”.

The most recent investment announced was for the new TEC2 deep-water terminal at the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, which represents a commitment of $900 million USD over the 32-year concession contract term. Other projects finalized in the past year included a $749 million USD investment for a new deep-water terminal at the Port of Callao, in Peru; and $992 million USD for a new terminal in Moin, Costa Rica, as well as $100 million USD to be invested over the next five years to modernize the Port of Poti, Georgia on the Black Sea, and $120 million USD each at the Port of Monrovia, Liberia and Apapa, Nigeria. Approximately half of APM Terminals’ current container volume is in facilities in economically emerging areas.

“Our capabilities within port development and operation can bring efficient port capacity to new markets benefiting customers, government authorities and communities” added Fejfer.

Thousands of workers on a project to expand the Panama Canal have agreed to end a strike that had paralysed construction for a week. The stoppage was called off after the consortium in charge of the works agreed to increase the minimum wage. The USD5.25 billion project to widen the Panama Canal and double its capacity is due to be complete in 2014.

The waterway linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans already handles around 5% of world trade.

The multi-national consortium Grupos Unidos por el Canal (GUPC) said workers had accepted a 13% increase to the minimum wage and would go back to work on Monday. Union leaders said their members had accepted the deal, which increases the minimum hourly wage from USD2.90 to USD3.34.

The company had already agreed to give back pay for overtime and Sundays.