Savannah Achieves Third Month Over Half-million TEUs

Over the first 11 months of fiscal year 2025, the Georgia Ports Authority’s trade is up 493,635 twenty-foot equivalent container units to 5.3 million TEUs, up 10.3% compared to the same period a year ago. (Georgia Ports)

Garden City Terminal West storage yard facility attracting more business for tariff-related cargoes

SAVANNAH, Ga., June 24, 2025 – The Port of Savannah handled 500,900 twenty-foot equivalent container units in May, an increase of 10,565 TEUs or 2.2% compared to the same month last year.

“Three months in a row over half a million TEUs is a testament to customers’ trust in Savannah,” said Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch. “I’d like to thank GPA employees and our partners at Gateway Terminals and the International Longshoremen’s Association for delivering world-class supply chain efficiency, even during market disruptions.”

Last month was Savannah’s second busiest May on record, exceeded only by May 2022, when container volumes reached nearly 519,400 TEUs.

Lynch said Georgia Ports has brought on new capacity to give port customers greater flexibility in timing supply chain movements.

“Garden City Terminal West was specifically built for long-term storage for import and export cargo,” he said. “Our customers tell us they have been looking for a service option like this to manage supply chain speed fluctuations.”

The facility is directly adjacent to Garden City Terminal, the single largest container terminal in the Western Hemisphere.

“Our port master plan’s $4.5 billion investment the next ten years is designed to keep the port always ready for the changing future needs of customers and to grow responsibly, sustainably and sensitive to the communities we serve. Port infrastructure is a long-term investment that has significant economic impact for Georgia and we’re proud to serve our customers with the most competitive port operations in the nation,” stated Kent Fountain, Georgia Ports Chairman of the Board. GPA’s infrastructure investment the last ten years has been $3.2 billion.

For the fiscal year to date (July 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025), the Port of Savannah has handled 5.3 million TEUs, an increase of 493,635 TEUs or 10.3% in fiscal year 2025.

Brunswick’s south side rail facility starts operations in June
Phase I of the new rail yard on the south side of Colonels Island at the Port of Brunswick will be operational by the end of June 2025, doubling rail capacity from five to 10 trains per week.

This first phase, representing a $22 million investment will increase the port’s annual rail capacity from 150,000 autos to more than 340,000. By 2028, Phase II, representing a $54mn investment, will bring annual rail capacity to 590,000 units. More than 90 percent of vehicles moving by rail in Brunswick are U.S. exports.

Colonels Island is served by the Golden Isles Terminal Railroad, interchanging with CSX and Norfolk Southern at nearby rail yards.

Lynch said the Brunswick RoRo port achieved a strong performance last month, in light of tariff-related uncertainty.

Colonels Island Terminal handled 79,134 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo in May, a decrease of 7,474 units or 8.6% compared to the same month last year. Of the total RoRo volumes, 73,995 were autos, 5,139 were heavy equipment.

May 2024 was GPA’s second busiest month on record for RoRo cargo, at 86,608 units.

For the fiscal year to date, GPA has moved 803,117 units of autos and heavy equipment, up 7,000 units or 1% compared to the same period a year ago.