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…