SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – Georgia seaports handled record cargo volumes in the first month of fiscal 2022.

The Georgia Ports Authority said the Port of Savannah moved 450,000 container units of imports and exports in July, a 25% increase from the previous year and a new all-time high for this month.

Meanwhile, auto and machinery shipments through the Port of Brunswick jumped 39% last month to 61,470 units, another record high in July.

The growth is driven by strong consumer demand and the dispatch of additional ships to meet that demand, Georgia Ports Authority executive director Griff Lynch said in a press release.

The booming July followed immediately after the Port of Savannah reached a milestone, moving 5.3 million containers to its docks in fiscal 2021, which ended on June 30. It was the first time the container trade in Savannah had crossed the 5 million mark.

Containers are large metal boxes used to ship goods ranging from consumer electronics to frozen chickens. Savannah has the fourth busiest container port in the United States

The Port Authority is making improvements to wharves and rail terminals to accommodate future growth. In addition, the agency said, the deepening of the Savannah River navigation channel is now 90 percent complete.