Savannah’s 12.5% Growth Sets Stage for Mega Expansion

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced significant growth and ambitious expansion plans during its State of the Port event in Savannah today, marking a milestone year for one of America’s fastest-growing maritime gateways.

The Port of Savannah ended 2024 handling 5.6 million TEUs, surpassing 2023’s volumes by 618,000 TEUs or 12.5%. The figure is just shy of the Savannah’s all-time record of 5.9 million TEUs set in 2022.

President and CEO Griff Lynch said the growth makes Savannah as the fastest-growing container gateway on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. He highlighted the port’s resilience amid global challenges, including disruptions at the Suez Canal and extended labor negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which resulted in a new 6-year contract. “Even in a challenging year, we still found a way to grow by 12.5 percent, and connectivity is key,” Lynch stated.

The port authority also provided updates key infrastructure developments, including the immediate opening of a new lay berth at Ocean Terminal.

“While we’re renovating Ocean Terminal, we’re going to use the berth space there as a staging area for big ships,” Lynch said. “This will drastically reduce the transition time between large vessels departing and arriving, allow us to work two more big ships per week and add up to 1 million TEUs of extra capacity per year.”

Future developments include a second lay berth at Ocean Terminal coming online in 2026, which will improve berth efficiency at Garden City Terminal by reducing idle time from 12 hours to just 3 hours. The Ocean Terminal renovation project will proceed in two phases, with completion dates set for mid-2027 and mid-2028, adding 1.5 million TEUs of yearly capacity.

The most significant development is the planned Savannah Container Terminal on Hutchinson Island, scheduled to begin operations in 2030. This facility will add three big ship berths and 3.5 million TEUs of annual capacity. The total investment in Ocean Terminal and Savannah Container Terminal amounts to $4 billion, with projections showing Savannah reaching a 12.5 million-TEU capacity by 2035.

The port’s rail operations have also seen remarkable growth. The Mason Mega Rail Terminal achieved record volumes in 2024, handling 540,850 containers, a 5.7% increase from 2023. Savannah maintains its position as the nation’s leader in rail efficiency, with containers moving from vessel to departing train within 24 hours.

“The impact of Georgia’s ports is felt in all 159 counties, as hardworking Georgians and the industries that employ them rely on these gateways to global commerce,” said Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

Earlier this month, Lynch announced Port of Brunswick‘s Colonel’s Island Terminal became the U.S. leader in automotive and heavy equipment cargo in 2024, processing over 2 million tons of RoRo cargo and leading national RoRo exports with 600,000 tons. The port handled 901,912 units, with automotive cargo up 13.3% and heavy equipment up 160%. Highlights from the year included securing a 20-year agreement with Wallenius Wilhelmsen in April 2024, enabling RoRo processing and heavy equipment fulfillment. A fourth RoRo berth, accommodating vessels with 10,800 CEU capacity, will begin construction in Summer 2025 for completion in 2027.

The economic impact is substantial, with port activities now supporting over 609,000 full- and part-time jobs across Georgia, an 8.6% increase from Fiscal Year 2021. The ports generate $171 billion in sales for Georgia businesses and contribute $72 billion to the state’s GDP.

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