18 The Journal of Commerce
|
April 30 2018 www.joc.com
Special Report Roll-On, Roll-Off and Auto Shipping
WHEN IT COMES to finished-automo-
bile shipments, US South Atlantic
ports are in a sweet spot. Regional
population growth is boosting
demand for imports, and new auto
assembly plants are bolstering
exports.
"If the market is up, the South-
east outperforms. If the market is
down, the Southeast is better than
the market as a whole," said Griff
Lynch, CEO of the Georgia Ports
Authority (GPA), which operates the
ports of Brunswick and Savannah.
"We're in a good position."
Brunswick and nearby Jackson-
ville, Florida, annually rank with
Baltimore among the top three US
ports in roll-on, roll-off vehicle ship-
ments. GPA terminals and Jackson-
ville each handled nearly 700,000
units in their most recent fiscal
year. Charleston handled more than
260,000, and Port Canaveral, Flori-
da, has a growing market presence,
albeit from a much lower base.
Region's ports invest
in infrastructure to meet
demand for autos and
heavy ro-ro shipments
By Joseph Bonney
