The Georgia Ports Authority said Tuesday that the Port of Savannah handled 5.4 million container units of imports and exports in the 2023 fiscal year that ended June 30.

The Georgia Ports Authority said Tuesday that its docks in Savannah handled nearly 5.8 million container units of imports and exports in the fiscal year that ended June 30. That's an increase of 8% from a year ago, when Savannah exceeded 5 million container units for the first time.

The agency that has overseen deepening of the shipping channel to the Port of Savannah says the dredging project has been completed 6 1/2 years after it began. The Army Corps of Engineers announced Wednesday that the $973 million Savannah harbor expansion is done.

The executive in charge of Georgia's seaports is calling for an aggressive expansion that would grow cargo container capacity a the Port of Savannah by 58% over the next three years. Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch said Thursday he wants Savannah to have space to handle 9.5 million cargo container units per year by 2025.

The Ever Given had been wedged at an angle across the Suez Canal since Tuesday, preventing other shipping vessels from traveling through the waterway.