Savannah port on target to hit growth milestone

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) The Georgia Ports Authority's chief executive says a midyear growth spurt in cargo volumes shows the Port of Savannah is on target to reach a big milestone this summer.

Curtis Foltz said Monday the nation's fourth busiest container port handled 1.54 million containers of exports and imports during the six-month period from July through December. That's up 5.8 percent from the same period a year ago.

Based on those numbers, Foltz says he's certain Savannah will exceed 3 million containers moving through its gates when the fiscal year ends June 30. That's after three years in which volumes stayed flat at just over 2.9 million containers.

Foltz says the growth comes largely from U.S. retailers ordering more goods from Asia, a sign the economy is improving as consumers spend more.