The Port of Brunswick handled a record 80,600 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo last month, an increase of more than 44% over April of last year, the Georgia Ports Authority reported Tuesday.

While diversions from the Port of Baltimore after a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge drove some of the growth at Brunswick, several other factors were involved, said Griff Lynch, the authority’s president and CEO.

“Asian imports remain strong, but we are also seeing an uptick in vehicle exports, new customers have chosen Georgia Ports, and we have increased capacity for existing customers,” Lynch said. “Additionally, manufacturers are working to raise dealership stocks from the current 14-day inventories to 30 days’ worth of vehicles.”

About 9,000 import vehicles were diverted to Brunswick from Baltimore last month, as well as another 1,000 units of heavy equipment. Heavy machinery exports were up by 500 units compared to Brunswick’s monthly average of 246 units for this fiscal year.

“We are expecting the impact of diverted cargo to taper off in June, as the Port of Baltimore works to fully restore service,” Lynch said.

Meanwhile, the Port of Savannah moved 441,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containerized cargo in April, an increase of 8%, or more than 32,000 TEUs compared to the same month last year. It was the ports authority’s third busiest April on record after 2021 and 2022.

Import loads reached 211,900 TEUs, up 8.3% compared to April of last year. Export loads accounted for 122,500 TEUs last month, an increase of 3.6%.