Citing slowing demand related to coronavirus closures, the Port of Savannah is expanding its storage capacity so port users stage their cargo until demand returns, the facility said today.

The Port of Savannah is bringing online 400,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) of annual container capacity. "With slowing demand related to the coronavirus, port users need space to stage their cargo until that demand returns," Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Executive Director Griff Lynch said in a release. "With these new container stack areas, Savannah is delivering the flexibility our customers need."

The move follows the GPA’s recent addition of container slots totaling nearly 5,000 TEUs of space to its operation. By mid-April, more than 6,000 TEUs of capacity will go into service, for a total of 11,130 TEUs of new container stacking space. These additions will increase Savannah's annual capacity by 400,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units, for a new total capacity of 6 million TEUs per year.

Facility closures and quarantines worldwide have snarled the usual flow of shipping containers, causing shortages in many U.S. and European ports and excess units to pile up in some Asian destinations.

"Our terminals continue to function with operational ease and efficiency," GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight said in a release. "From time to time, spikes in demand occur because of new customer needs or other factors impacting the global supply chain. Through the Authority's steady investment in capacity, GPA is able to handle unexpected surges in container yard demand, whatever the cause."

JUST ANNOUNCED: The Port of #Savannah is bringing online 400,000 TEUs of annual container capacity at just the time when many port customers are seeking new storage options. Details: https://t.co/Y2KZseRdof. #GeorgiaPorts #gaports #supplychain #ports #logistics #containers pic.twitter.com/TCSzx7F5S1

— Georgia Ports (@GaPorts) March 19, 2020