The Port of Savannah handled a record 504,015 TEUs in September, up 3.7% from a year earlier, as rising imports and weather-related cargo delays extended the peak shipping season, the Georgia Ports Authority said.
Loaded imports increased 5.5% compared with September 2025, leading the port’s container growth. GPA attributed the gains to strong consumer spending and typhoon-related delays at Asian ports that pushed peak-season shipments into September.
The result brought container volumes for the first quarter of GPA’s fiscal year to more than 1.5 million TEUs, an increase of 40,560 TEUs, or 2.7%, from the same period a year earlier. GPA said the quarter ranked second only to the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Volumes at the Appalachian Regional Port rose 13% during the quarter.
Terminal and road investments advance
GPA said its $1.6 billion renovation of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal is more than 60% complete. The project will increase the terminal’s annual container capacity from 200,000 TEUs to 1.75 million TEUs.
The authority also highlighted the Brampton Road Connector, a Georgia Department of Transportation project that opened in July. The road provides a third high-volume truck corridor to Garden City Terminal’s Gate 3, allowing trucks to avoid neighborhood roads and at-grade railroad crossings.
“The capital investments we’ve made are now paying off in service levels for our customers and fluidity for our trucking partners,” GPA President Kevin Price said.
GPA also said volumes will benefit from improving water conditions at the Panama Canal. According to the release, the Panama Canal Authority plans to restore capacity to a maximum of 10 Neopanamax vessel transits per day on Oct. 15, bringing total daily transit capacity for all vessel sizes to 33. The maximum draft for Neopanamax vessels stood at 49 feet as of Sept. 28.
Brunswick cargo declines despite machinery gains
At the Port of Brunswick, total roll-on/roll-off cargo fell 22% year over year to 43,415 units in September. Heavy machinery shipments rose nearly 12% to 3,754 units, compared with 3,359 a year earlier, but that growth did not offset the overall decline. GPA said global market conditions for vehicle manufacturers remained competitive as tariffs and rising interest rates have damped retail vehicle sales.
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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