"We are pleased to welcome Wan Hai to the Port of Savannah," said Georgia Ports Authority executive director Griff Lynch. "This new service strengthens Georgia's position as the third-busiest container gateway as more customers in the US southeast and beyond rely on our services."

Wan Hai services to North America previously called only on the US west coast.

Wan Hai, the largest intra-Asia carrier worldwide, said it is excited to expand its service to the US east coast. This service is in response to growing consumer demand and the company's desire is to provide better transit time and service coverage.

The Cape Mayor, a 2,741-TEU vessel, was the first ship of Wan Hai Lines' fleet to arrive at the US east coast with the following rotation Taipei, Xiamen, Shekou, Cai Mep, New York-New Jersey and back to Taipei.

"Savannah's position in the rotation makes Georgia the final loading port for exports," said the port trade development chief Bruce Kuzma. "For American producers, that means cargo leaves for global markets sooner when loaded in Savannah."

The new offering brings Savannah's weekly containership services to 36, second only to New York-New Jersey on the US east coast. Over the past three years, Savannah has seen a 9.4 per cent increase in US east coast market share for a total of 22.1 per cent in FY2021.