The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) had its busiest April ever for container trade, moving 515,500 twenty-foot equivalent container units last month.

It said that the Port of Savannah achieved an increase of 74,500 TEUs or 17% compared to the same month last year. 

Mason Mega Rail handled intermodal volumes in April with over 50,000 rail lifts, an increase of about 3,700 lifts or 8% year-on-year compared to April 2024 which indicates cargo is being diverted back to the U.S. East Coast and Gulf.

The Appalachian Regional Port handled a record 4,241 lifts in April, up 1,400 or 49%.

"Manufacturers, retailers and agribusiness continue to choose Georgia's ports to serve customers across the Southeast and the world," GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch, said. "Our operations remain business-as-usual with some customers front-loading supply chains to avoid disruption.

"With the latest news on tariffs, we're optimistic the situation will settle down and cargo will continue to flow through Savannah and Brunswick. We’re already seeing an uptick in business for the months ahead," he added.

April was the third monthly container record in a row for Savannah.

The port said Garden City Terminal handled nearly 480,000 TEUs in February and 534,000 TEUs in March.

For the fiscal year to date (July 1, 2024-April 30, 2025), the Port of Savannah has moved 4.8 million TEUs, an increase of 11% or 483,000 TEUs compared to the same period in FY2024.

Lynch also reported that a new U.S. Customs inspection warehouse will come online in July 2025 in Garden City Terminal, more than doubling the agency's previous space to 300,000 square feet.

The US$44.5 million facility will also feature refrigerated container plug-ins and an indoor refrigerated section for inspecting agricultural imports. He said the on-terminal site saves customers time and money, because containers do not have to be moved off-port for inspection.

The GPA board also approved a fourth berth for Roll-on/Roll-off cargo at the Port of Brunswick's Colonels Island Terminal. Construction will start in mid-2025 and the US$99.8 million project is expected to be completed in 2027.

The Port of Brunswick handled nearly 63,000 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo in April, a decline of 22% or 17,656 units from the same month a year ago.

GPA noted that many auto and heavy equipment manufacturers rushed orders to Brunswick in March, when GPA handled 91,360 RoRo units, up more than 18% or 14,000 units compared to the same period in 2024.