Building strong partnerships, superior connectivity, ample capacity ahead of demand and a responsible approach with communities is the “GPA way,” and sets the ports of Savannah and Brunswick apart from the competition. That was the message shared at the Savannah State of the Port event Feb. 25.
“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 to reach markets around the world,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “I’m proud to know that the bulk of our exports are produced by small businesses, and the outstanding performance of the Georgia Ports Authority – along with its commitment to strategic investment and growth – are key reasons our state has been ranked No. 1 for business for 11 years in a row.”
GPA Board Chairman Kent Fountain said a cooperative environment among government and supply chain stakeholders is key to Georgia Ports’ success. “All the accolades credited to Georgia Ports are the result of our amazing partnerships,” Fountain said. “It begins with Gov. Kemp and the state legislature, and it extends through our Georgia Ports employees, the local ILA, Gateway Terminals and all our port partners in Savannah and Brunswick. Their collaborative effort makes our ports the nation’s best operated and easiest to use for our customers’ global business.”
Before an audience of more than 1,700 business leaders and elected officials at the Savannah Convention Center, Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch laid out plans to increase capacity in Savannah, add berth space over the short and long term, boost container yard and rail capacity, and grow the truck gates at the Port of Savannah.
The expansion is needed to handle growing business. GPA handled nearly 5.6 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) last year – an increase of approximately 618,000 TEUs compared to 2023. That made Savannah the fastest growing container gateway on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.
“Growth at the nation’s gateway terminals outpaced all other ports in the nation, and Savannah is clearly the gateway port for the U.S. Southeast,” Lynch said. “We see this pattern only continuing to accelerate.”
“Even in a challenging year, we still found a way to grow by 12.5 percent, and I think one conclusion we can draw here is that connectivity is key,” Lynch said, noting Savannah is one of the best globally connected ports in the U.S. “It’s been an incredible year, considering the headwinds of the difficulties surrounding the Suez Canal and the extended labor contract negotiations. Our congratulations go to the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance for developing a six-year agreement with winners on both sides.”
To stay ahead of demand, Lynch announced the opening of a new lay berth effective immediately 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.
A second lay berth at Ocean Terminal will come online in 2026. Use of the staging area will decrease the time a berth is open and unused at Garden City Terminal from the current 12 hours down to 3 hours, for a 75 percent improvement in berth idle time.
Phase I of the Ocean Terminal yard renovation will be completed in mid-2027; the second phase by mid-2028. This will increase capacity by up to 1.5 million TEUs per year.
Longer term plans call for the Savannah Container Terminal on Hutchinson Island to open in Phase I by 2030, ultimately adding three additional big ship berths and 3.5 million TEUs of annual capacity in phases, based on demand. The facility is currently in the permitting phase.
“These improvements are necessary to stay ahead of growing demand and to continue providing the world-class service our customers have come to expect at Georgia Ports,” Lynch said. “With $4 billion in investments planned for Ocean Terminal and Savannah Container Terminal, Savannah will be a 12.5 million-TEU capacity port by 2035.”
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