The Georgia Ports Authority handled more than 2.8 million TEUs in fiscal year-to-date 2025 (July 1 – Dec. 31), an increase of 11.4 percent or nearly 300,000 TEUs in the Port of Savannah. In December, GPA handled more than 442,000 TEUs, an increase of 4.7 percent or 19,850 TEUs compared to December 2023.
“We’ve seen twelve consecutive months of year-over-year container volume growth and we’re on track for a strong fiscal year that ends June 30th, 2025,” said Griff Lynch, President and CEO of Georgia Ports Authority.
Feature Image: The Blue Ridge Connector, GPA’s inland port near Gainesville, Ga., is now more than 50 percent complete. Situated along the manufacturing and logistics corridor of Interstate 85 in Hall County, the BRC is slated to open in 2026.
The Appalachian Regional Port (ARP) also helped boost GPA’s performance, with an increase of 4,368 TEUs fiscal year-to-date or 13.5 percent over the previous period. December volumes were 6,084 TEUs an increase of 20.6 percent over the previous period.
Lynch reported the Garden City West Terminal storage yard will see its cars in containers project come to completion in February 2025 as the customer shifts cargo to RoRo service in the Port of Brunswick.
Four new ship-to-shore cranes from the Finland-based company, Konecranes arrived at the port on January 25, 2025 for installation.
Other projects include the Blue Ridge Connector in Gainesville, GA which is 50% complete and opens in 2026 as an inland port, serving a fast-growing region. And, a $40 million expanded U.S. Customs inspection facility, financed by GPA that doubled in size and opens in March 2025 to support faster service within Garden City Terminal. The other major project is the Savannah Container Terminal which is currently in the permit process.
“We continue to focus our infrastructure renovation efforts on getting all our facilities into top shape for customers and their long-term needs,” said Kent Fountain, Chairman of the Georgia Ports board. We’d like to thank our customers, Gateway Terminals, the ILA, our Trucking community and our business partners who make Savannah and Brunswick supply chains work so well.”
Port of Brunswick
In autos and heavy equipment, GPA handled 443,763 units of Ro/Ro cargo, an increase of 7.5 percent or 31,125 units fiscal year-to-date at the Port of Brunswick. In December, 69,000 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo were handled, a decrease of 7 percent or 5,200 units. (These numbers reflect total RoRo at Colonels Island- autos, machinery, static cargo, boats, vehicles).
GPA completed $262 million in improvements at the Port of Brunswick in 2024, adding new warehousing and processing space, as well as 122 acres of Ro/Ro cargo storage. Construction has started on a new railyard on Colonel’s Island, while a fourth Ro/Ro berth is in the engineering phase. Colonel’s Island was also the new site for the official opening of Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s new Southeast port hub on January 21, 2025.
Mayor’s Point Terminal
The Mayor’s Point operation in Brunswick handled 22.5k tons in December, up 33.8%, and 164.7k tons in fiscal year-to-date 2025, up 61.4% compared to FYTD2024.
East River Terminal & Lanier Dock
Supported by 189.1% growth in December, bulk cargo at East River Terminal & Lanier Dock was up 44.9% to 793.5k tons in FYTD2025, mainly due to increased exports of wood pellets and peanut pellets.
About Georgia Ports
Georgia’s ports and inland terminals support more than 561,000 jobs throughout the state annually, contributing $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue and $3.8 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. GPA anticipates investing $4.2 billion in the next ten years as part of its port master plan to expand cargo handling capabilities to support future supply chain requirements.
As part of GPA’s community engagement efforts, $6 million will be donated to communities located near the Port of Savannah to support a multi-year, local workforce housing initiative. CNBC ranked Georgia #1 in the U.S. for infrastructure in America’s Top States for Business in 2024. Area Development – a site selection news outlet for the U.S., has ranked Georgia as the Top State to Do Business for 11 consecutive years. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Tom Boyd, Chief Communications Officer, tboyd@gaports.com
