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SAVANNAH, Ga., July 16, 2025 — The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) and Konecranes are celebrating 30 years since the purchase of GPA’s first rubber tire gantry crane, marking a significant milestone in port operations and yard crane innovation.
"Konecranes has played a defining role in our growth and productivity with customers and port users,” said Griff Lynch, President and CEO of Georgia Ports. "Konecranes uptime performance, electric-powered sustainability and secure software – which is developed in the U.S. and Finland is a competitive differentiator.”
During a meeting at the Konecranes headquarters in Finland, Georgia Ports executives and board members visited with Konecranes leadership and employees, touring the manufacturing facility to mark the 30-year anniversary and express their appreciation.
"The relationship between the Georgia Ports Authority and Konecranes is truly a long-term partnership. Our port master plan is designed for the future and Konecranes equipment plays an important role,” added GPA Board Chairman Alec Poitevint.
The Port of Savannah is home to the largest ship-to-shore (STS) and RTG fleet at a single terminal in North America – serving the largest container terminal in the nation — Garden City Terminal. Since the first yard crane purchase, GPA’s fleet of Konecranes RTGs has grown to 257 machines at six locations. The Port of Savannah is also home to 42 Konecranes STS cranes.
“Our Konecranes electric fleet of cranes are the workhorses of our container terminal. We’re handling 36 ships a week, 14,000 – 16,000 truck gate transactions a day and 42 doublestack trains per week as the fastest growing port on the U.S. East Coast thanks to our crane performance and partnership,” said GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy.
“As we deliver more cranes over the years, I appreciate how the Georgia Ports Authority has worked closely with us to constantly improve our crane design,” said Tuomas Saastamoinen, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Konecranes. “Konecranes’ latest hybrid diesel RTGs feature state-of-the-art safety and operational assistance systems that allow for seamless container cargo movement by GPA’s operators.”
In 1995, GPA bought the very first rubber-tire gantry (RTG) crane ever built by Konecranes, destined for the Port of Savannah. That machine – still in operation – was revolutionary for its time. It was the world’s first container crane without hydraulics. It had Konecranes patented Active Load Control (ALC) system for the world’s highest container handling productivity. It also had an eco-efficient AC drive supplied by Konecranes.
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