Savannah container trade up 17 percent in April

SAVANNAH, Ga., May 20, 2025 – The Georgia Ports Authority had its busiest April ever for container trade, moving 515,500 twenty-foot equivalent container units last month. The Port of Savannah achieved an increase of 74,500 TEUs or 17 percent compared to the same month last year. Mason Mega Rail handled intermodal volumes in April with over 50,000 rail lifts, an increase of about 3,700 lifts or 8 percent year-on-year compared to April 2024 which indicates cargo is being diverted back to the U.S. East Coast and Gulf. The Appalachian Regional Port handled a record 4,241 lifts in April, up 1,400 or 49 percent.

“Manufacturers, retailers and agribusiness continue to choose Georgia’s ports to serve customers across the Southeast and the world,” said GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch. “Our operations remain business-as-usual with some customers front-loading supply chains to avoid disruption. With the latest news on tariffs, we’re optimistic the situation will settle down and cargo will continue to flow through Savannah and Brunswick. We’re already seeing an uptick in business for the months ahead.”

April was the third monthly container record in a row for Savannah. Garden City Terminal handled nearly 480,000 TEUs in February and 534,000 TEUs in March. For the fiscal year to date (July 1, 2024-April 30, 2025), the Port of Savannah has moved 4.8 million TEUs, an increase of 11 percent or 483,000 TEUs compared to the same period in FY2024.

Lynch also reported to the board that a new U.S. Customs inspection warehouse will come online in July 2025 on Garden City Terminal, more than doubling the agency’s previous space to 300,000 square feet. The $44.5 million facility will also feature refrigerated container plug-ins and an indoor refrigerated section for inspecting agricultural imports. He said the on-terminal site saves customers time and money, because containers do not have to be moved off-port for inspection.

Brunswick to add fourth berth

Also at the meeting, the GPA board approved a fourth berth for Roll-on/Roll-off cargo at the Port of Brunswick’s Colonels Island Terminal. Construction will start mid-2025 and the $99.8 million project is expected to be completed in 2027.

“As we expand our south side yard capabilities, we are matching our berth 4 capabilities to create a seamless interface from berth to yard for customers,” Lynch said. 

The Port of Brunswick handled nearly 63,000 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo in April, a decline of 22 percent or 17,656 units from the same month a year ago. Many auto and heavy equipment manufacturers rushed orders to Brunswick in March, when GPA handled 91,360 RoRo units, up more than 18 percent or 14,000 units compared to March 2024.

For fiscal year 2025 to date, Colonels Island Terminal in Brunswick has handled approximately 724,000 units of autos and heavy equipment, an increase of 2 percent or 14,400 RoRo units compared to the same period in FY2024.

The Port of Brunswick was the nation’s busiest Roll-on/Roll-off terminal for autos and heavy equipment in 2024, handling more than 900,000 RoRo units. At 1,700 acres, Colonels Island Terminal provides more room to grow than any other U.S. RoRo port. Georgia Ports recently completed $262 million in capacity expansions in Brunswick.

On May 2, 2025, GPA completed construction of a new railyard on the south side of Colonels Island, doubling the port’s rail capacity for inland connectivity. More than 90% of vehicles moving by rail at the Port of Brunswick are U.S.-made exports.

New GPA officers take helm

The Georgia Ports Authority Board elected new officers on May 20, including Chairman Alec Poitevint, Vice Chairman Chris Womack and Secretary-Treasurer Ben Tarbutton III. The officers’ terms start July 1, when current Chairman Kent Fountain will step down after serving two years in the position.

“I would like to express my gratitude to Governor Kemp, the GPA board and the entire Georgia Ports team for their support over the past two years. I’m very proud of what we accomplished together to make Brunswick the number one RoRo port in the nation and Savannah the second largest port on the U.S. East Coast with our $800 million investment over the last two years. I know we will have continued success under the leadership of Alec Poitevint, Chris Womack and Ben Tarbutton. It’s my honor to continue serving as a board member, and I look forward to ongoing successes with the GPA as a customer,” said GPA Chairman Kent Fountain.

“I would like to thank Kent Fountain for his ongoing service as a member of the board and for his time as chairman – and to congratulate Alec Poitevint for taking on the leadership responsibility,” said Gov. Brian Kemp. “The Georgia Ports Authority Board continues to benefit from steady, insightful leaders, who have helped establish our ports as the nation’s premier gateways for global trade.”

Board Officer Bios

Alec Poitevint is the chairman and president of Southeastern Minerals, Inc. and its affiliated companies headquartered in Bainbridge. Poitevint is a past chairman of Georgia Ports Authority, having previously served the Authority from 2007-2016. He is also a former president, vice-chairman and director of First Port City Bank of Bainbridge. He is past chairman of the American Feed Industry Association and National Feed Ingredients Association. He serves as a director of the Georgia Agribusiness Council and was Federal Commissioner of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) Water Compact. Poitevint was a former mission member of the U.S. Agricultural Trade and Development Mission to Europe in 1990 and U.S. Delegate to the World Food Summit in 2002.

Chris Womack is president and CEO of Southern Company, one of the nation’s leading energy providers, serving 9 million customers. Prior to his current role, since 2021 he served as chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power, leading Southern Company’s largest subsidiary. He assumed leadership of Georgia Power after serving as executive vice president and president of external affairs for Southern Company, where he led overall external positioning and branding efforts, including the company’s public policy strategies and oversaw the company’s governmental and regulatory affairs, corporate communication initiatives and other external and strategic business engagements. Prior to joining Southern Company, Womack worked on Capitol Hill for the U.S. House of Representatives. He is co-chair of the Edison Electric Institute Customer Solutions Policy Committee and a member of the board of directors of Invesco Ltd.

Ben Tarbutton III is president of the Sandersville Railroad Company, a shortline railroad located in Sandersville, Ga. The Sandersville Railroad has been in operation since 1893 and hauls various commodities including kaolin, wood chips, chemicals, and plastics. Tarbutton also serves as a board member of the Georgia Tech Foundation, as a Regional Vice President of the Southern Region for the American Shortline and Regional Railroad Association, and as the vice chairman of the Washington County Industrial Development Authority. He is a past chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Georgia, Washington County Chamber of Commerce, and past president of the Georgia Railroad Association and Sandersville Rotary. 

About Georgia Ports

Now in their 80^th year of operation, Georgia’s ports and inland terminals support more than 609,000 jobs throughout the state annually, contributing $40 billion in income, $171 billion in revenue and $5.3 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. In the past decade, GPA has invested $3.2 billion in infrastructure. GPA anticipates investing $4.5 billion in the next ten years as part of its port master plan to expand cargo handling capabilities and 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 at tboyd@gaports.com 912-964-3884.