The Port of Savannah handled 534,037 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) in August, an increase of 44,000 TEUs, or 9% year-over-year, representing the third highest month in GPA history.
Container volumes at the port reached 1,010,725 TEUs fiscal year-to-date through August, 3.2% higher than last year.
In September, Georgia Ports officially started its new fast-track routing process for container vessels entering the Port of Savannah, optimizing the Savannah River transit for inbound vessels to Garden City Terminal.
Inbound vessels will temporarily dock at Georgia Ports’ Ocean Terminal “lay berth” until a berth at Garden City Terminal opens. The first vessel to experience this process saved 12-15 hours.
“This lay berth, combined with our eight start times for ship labor, creates exciting new possibilities for ships to stay on schedule or make up time. This is a game-changer for GPA and our customers,” said Griff Lynch, president and CEO of Georgia Ports.
He noted that the key point of the lay berth is the reduction in berth idle time from 12-15 hours down to three hours which translates into better supply chain velocity and competitiveness. “
“Our mission is to make it easy to do business,” Lynch said. “We’re really focusing on high productivity at the berth, the container yard, the truck gates and the rail - and the numbers show it.”
In the Port of Brunswick, autos and machinery through Colonels Island Terminal decreased (-14.3%) year-over-year to 63,926 units in August and (-11.8%) to 132,918 units in fiscal YTD 2026.
Progress at Ocean Terminal
The Georgia Port Authority’s Board approved approximately US$614 million in infrastructure improvements for Ocean Terminal civil works in the container yard, terminal and maintenance and operations building.
“Our port master plan is designed to deliver the capacity our customers need to grow their business in Georgia,” said Alec Poitevint, board chairman of GPA.
“As part of that overall plan, Ocean Terminal will play an important role in growing our capabilities and providing the most competitive port operations in the nation.”
The first half of the Ocean Terminal container yard renovation will be completed in 2027, the second half in 2028. The US$1.54 billion overall project will allow the 200-acre facility to serve two large container ships simultaneously.
In addition to the yard improvements, the terminal’s two berths are being renovated to serve larger vessels. The project also includes expanded truck gates, and a new exit ramp for trucks. Georgia Ports funded the US$29 million overpass to carry departing truck traffic directly onto U.S. 17/Interstate 16, avoiding neighborhood streets.
“With our plan to add new terminal space and big ship berths over the next 10 years, Georgia’s ability to take on new business is outpacing other U.S. ports to meet market demand in Georgia and the Southeast region,” Lynch said.
Over the next ten years, GPA plans to invest US$4.5 billion in infrastructure. In addition to the two renovated berths at Ocean Terminal, Georgia Ports will add three new big ship berths at the planned Savannah Container Terminal on Hutchinson Island, just across the Savannah River.
By the mid-2030s, Savannah Container Terminal will add more than 3.5 million TEUs of annual capacity at the Port of Savannah.
The Port of Savannah averages more than 14,000 truck moves per day.
