In its busiest March ever, the Port of Savannah container trade increased by 22.5% or 98,000 TEUs compared to last year. In intermodal cargo, the Port of Savannah set a record of 52,645 containers moved by rail, an increase of 17 percent over the same month last year.

The Georgia Ports Authority handled 534,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units in March, its second monthly record in a row. In February, GPA moved 479,850 TEUs, also a high. Savannah is the fastest-growing container port on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.

“The growth rate was largely due to two factors: Cargo coming back from the U.S. West Coast after the completion of labor contract negotiations, and customers front-loading orders to avoid new tariffs,” said GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch.

Terminal Fluidity

In intermodal cargo, the Port of Savannah set an all-time record of 52,645 containers moved by rail, an increase of 17 percent over the same month last year. The March performance edged out the previous record of 52,446 rail moves set in January 2021. Similarly, the Appalachian Regional Port in Northwest Georgia handled 3,566 containers in March, an increase of more than 1,100 containers or 47 percent compared to March 2024. It was the highest volume for the ARP since October 2024, when the inland terminal handled 3,666 containers.

Rail cargo remained fluid at the 85-acre Mason Mega Rail Terminal, with an average rail dwell in March of only 22 hours between vessel offload and departing train. Located on the Port of Savannah terminal, Mason Mega Rail handles 42 double-stacked trains per week.

The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal completed 333,571 truck turns in March, with the port setting a weekly gate record of 80,505 truck turns in the week ending March 16.

“From our docks and the container yard to the truck gates and on-terminal rail, our operations teams are achieving strong metrics in cargo flow,” said GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy. “That translates into supply chain velocity for our customers who want to exercise more control on order fulfillment speed.”

The average truck turn time in March was 35 minutes for a single move and 55 minutes when a driver delivered an export and picked up an import. Such dual moves accounted for 86 percent of containers moving by truck. Thanks to this terminal efficiency, local truckers can make up to six to eight daily moves to area warehouses.

“On behalf of the Georgia Ports Authority, I would like to thank our employees, Gateway Terminals, the local International Longshoremen’s Association, and the railroads, shipping lines, and motor carriers who are our frontline partners in logistics, serving our customers,” said GPA Board Chairman Kent Fountain. “In Georgia, we are united in our commitment to serving the farms, factories, and businesses that support the economy of our state and nation.”

Stronger Supply Chains in Savannah

To support faster service for ocean carriers, the Port of Savannah has added three new start times for work vessels – 6 a.m., 3 p.m., and 9 p.m. – for a total of eight start times per day. Vessel operations in Savannah are performed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Additionally, GPA plans to use dock space at Ocean Terminal as a lay berth or staging area for large vessels to be worked at Garden City Terminal. Starting in May, this will allow for a much quicker transition between ships, cutting berth idle time from 12 to 3 hours. “The Ocean Terminal lay berths will launch a new era of flexibility at the Port of Savannah, allowing us to turn vessels faster and more efficiently,” Lynch said.

Faster Customs Inspections

A new $44.5 million U.S. Customs facility at Garden City Terminal will double the size of the agency’s previous location by early June, streamlining on-site inspections for Georgia Ports customers. The project comes after GPA won a federal bid process to continue housing the local Customs operations on-site at Georgia Ports.

“For our customers, the speed and convenience of on-terminal Customs inspections cannot be overstated,” Lynch said. “Our owner-operator model and unmatched terminal space mean containers don’t have to be hauled off-port for Customs – saving cargo owners time and money.”

The new location will also provide 400,000 square feet of parking for outdoor inspections, accommodating Customs and other federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Economic Development / Investment Climate

January and February were the most active months local brokers have seen in this market, said GPA Director of Economic and Industrial Development Stacy Watson, “Across manufacturing, warehousing, and third-party logistics, companies are looking at facilities and getting information on what the area has to offer.”