SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - The Georgia Ports Authority is reporting its fourth straight month of record growth, in part because of larger cargo ships arriving in Savannah via the expanded Panama Canal.
Griff Lynch, the authority's executive director, said Monday the Savannah and Brunswick seaports handled 2.94 million tons of cargo in February - up nearly 10 percent from the same month last year. It was also their second-highest monthly tonnage ever. That record was set in January.
Containerized cargo moving through Savannah is driving the growth.
Lynch said the Panama Canal, which finished a major expansion last summer, is increasing container volumes "a little faster and stronger" than expected.
Overall tonnage in the first eight months of the 2017 fiscal year was up 6.5 percent compared to the same period last year.
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