In this June, 19, 2018 photo, several ship to shore cranes stack shipping containers on-board the container ship Maersk Semarang at the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Ga. The Georgia Ports Authority reported Tuesday, July 30, 2019, that its ports at Savannah and Brunswick handled a record 37.5 million tons (34 million metric tons) of cargo in the 2019 fiscal year that ended June 30. That's a 4.2% increase over the previous year.

In this June 2018 photo, several ship to shore cranes stack shipping containers on-board the container ship Maersk Semarang at the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Ga. In October 2021, the port had a massive backlog of cargo.

Credit: Associated Press/Stephen B. Morton

The Port of Savannah is so backlogged with shipping containers, that if you lined them up from end-to-end, they could stretch from Atlanta to Windsor, Canada.

There are currently 80,000 containers at the port right now. Griff Lynch, the executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, said the port has been been dealing with this crisis since commerce picked up again in September 2020.

But he's assuring consumers and retailers that most of their goods will make it to store shelves in time for the holidays.

The Executive Director of the Georgia Ports Authority Griff Lynch says they're struggling to get goods on shelves.

Lynch said the port needs more truckers, but many switched to e-commerce delivery during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the staff that the port currently has is working 40% overtime, he said.

Tags: Georgia  Atlanta  Savannah  Macon  economy