Georgia ports volumes hit by higher costs, softer market

Georgia’s Port of Savannah processed approximately 4. 7 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) for the July-April fiscal year to date, marking a 2. 5% decrease, or 118,422 TEUs, compared to the previous period.

April specifically saw a significant decline, with the port handling 443,650 TEUs, off 14% from April of the previous year, when tariff-fueled frontloading turned in the busiest April on record. “Our customers are managing through a softer market with higher operating costs,” said Georgia Ports President and Chief Executive Griff Lynch.

“The Georgia Ports Authority remains focused on delivering capacity for the longer term so when the market changes, we are ready to seamlessly absorb their growth.” The authority’s 10-year, $5 billion investment plan forecasts 54% growth.

It includes the addition of five new container berths in Savannah and one new roll-on/roll-off berth in the Port of Brunswick, now the busiest gateway for automobile imports in the U. S. Brunswick in April handled 64,305 units, an increase of 2% y/y. Heavy equipment increased by 7%. Fiscal year-to-date figures show a total of 639,574 units, an 11.

8% decrease amid economic uncertainty, but total export and import volume processed of 779,000 units of automobiles and over 53,000 units of heavy machinery led all ports. Brunswick is undergoing a series of infrastructure projects, including a new, $100 million ro/ro berth, improvements to outdoor vehicle storage, dredging, and other harbor modifications.

The GPA on May 4 opened the Gainesville Inland Port, providing direct rail service between northeast Georgia and the Port of Savannah.

The $134 million project, serviced by Norfolk Southern, is projected to relocate 26,000 containers from truck to rail in its inaugural year, which will mitigate highway congestion and reduce emissions associated with a 600-mile roundtrip drive. The inland port is ultimately designed to provide an annual capacity of up to 200,000 containers.

The GPA said renovations at Savannah’s Ocean Terminal have reached the halfway completion mark. This nearly $1. 6 billion project is designed to substantially increase the 200-acre facility’s annual container capacity from 200,000 TEUs to 1. 75 million TEUs. GPA has already finalized the upgrade of the first of the two planned berths at Ocean Terminal.

This dock space is operational for working ships and also functions as a “lay berth,” providing an optional staging area for the Garden City Terminal, enabling ships to move immediately when a berth becomes available at the main container port.

The second berth is scheduled for completion in June 2026, which will allow for two large vessels to be accommodated simultaneously. Once fully completed, the docks will span 2,800 feet. Additionally, renovations will enhance truck access and traffic flow, with the new gate structure currently 60% complete.

The first components of the new gate are now open to traffic, and the full gate, featuring 12 inbound and six outbound lanes, is expected to be finished by November. DoJ indicts Chinese container makers on price-fixing charges Quarterly loss for Zim ahead of Hapag-Lloyd takeover Is peak season here?

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