Savannah Exports Up 4.2% in August as Georgia Ports Post Strong Fiscal-Year Start

The Port of Savannah moved 529,523 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) in August, essentially flat with the same month last year at a decline of less than 1 percent, according to the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA). Export loads totaled 117,242 TEUs, an increase of nearly 4,700 TEUs, or 4.2 percent, while import loads reached 265,859 TEUs, up approximately 3,800 TEUs, or 1.5 percent.

"Asia weather and Panama Canal water levels are being felt in August supply chains. For, we are seeing strong numbers on the water and the Suez Canal seems to be picking up," said Griff Lynch, CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority. "The customer demand is present for Savannah, however typhoons in Asia and El Nino in Panama are affecting volumes."

That export-led performance comes despite the disruptions GPA leadership describes: low water at the Panama Canal has at times forced the waterway to cap daily transits and vessel drafts, while typhoons periodically close Asian ports and push sailings back by days. Lynch's reference to the Suez Canal also tracks a broader industry shift — many container lines have routed vessels around the Cape of Good Hope since late 2023 amid Red Sea security concerns, adding one to two weeks to Asia-Europe voyages — so a sustained recovery in Suez traffic would shorten those transits. September's figures will show whether the strength GPA sees "on the water" arrives in Savannah as landed volume.

Strong Start to the Fiscal Year

The GPA handled 1.03 million TEUs in July and August, the first two months of its fiscal year, up 2.2 percent, or 22,537 TEUs, from the same period a year earlier. The GPA's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, making the two-month tally the earliest benchmark for the year's pace.

"We're off to a strong start, with more than a million TEUs moving through Georgia's ports in the first two months of the fiscal year. At the same time, we're improving truck efficiency," said GPA President Kevin Price.

Garden City Terminal in Savannah recorded truck turn times of 43 minutes for dual import-export transactions during the month, shaving 6.5 minutes off its previous six-month average. Nearly 80 percent of Savannah's truck transactions are dual moves — pairings of an import drop-off with an export pick-up in a single terminal visit that avoid an empty return leg — and the terminal handles 15,000 truck gate transactions between 4 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.

"The Georgia Ports Authority and the entire state of Georgia are focused on providing a superior customer experience in all aspects of the supply chain," added GPA Chairman Alec Poitevint.

In all, Savannah handled more than half a million TEUs in August, growing both loaded export and import container volumes.

Record August for the Appalachian Regional Port

The Appalachian Regional Port (ARP) logged a record month in August, with volumes up 10 percent compared with August 2025. The ARP is a rail-served inland terminal in Crandall, Georgia, that gives shippers in the state's northwest a direct rail connection to the Port of Savannah, letting containers be dropped and picked up closer to their facilities. Across the first two months of the fiscal year, ARP volumes are running more than 25 percent ahead of the same period last year.

Brunswick Heavy Machinery Up 22 Percent

Heavy machinery volumes at the Port of Brunswick reached 4,726 units in August, an increase of 3,884 units, or nearly 22 percent. The port handled 60,572 total units of autos and heavy machinery during the month, however, a reduction of 3,348 units, or 5 percent, compared with the previous August. Brunswick moves this freight as roll-on/roll-off cargo, with vehicles and machinery driven on and off vessels rather than stacked in containers — a handling model in which berth capacity and vessel size effectively set volume ceilings.

Luxury vehicle manufacturers continue to face stronger competition from domestic Chinese producers, reducing U.S. exports to that market.

Construction on a fourth berth at Colonels Island has reached the halfway mark. The $100 million project is scheduled for completion in November 2027 and will enable service to vessels carrying 7,000-plus vehicles.

Source: Georgia Ports Authority, via Hellenic Shipping News