GPA Overview

Since 1945, Georgia’s ports have served as magnets for international trade and investment, enriching the state’s economy to benefit all Georgians. The Georgia Ports Authority is dedicated to providing customers with the most efficient, productive port facilities in the nation, and to creating jobs and business opportunities to benefit more than 11 million Georgians. The GPA is committed to maintaining its competitive edge through development of leading-edge technology, marketing and operations to move cargo faster. Georgia Ports is focused on what must be done today to sustain growth, performance and security for tomorrow.

Georgia’s deepwater ports in Savannah and Brunswick, together with inland terminals in Murray County and Bainbridge are Georgia’s gateways to the world. They are the critical conduits through which raw materials and finished products flow to and from destinations around the globe.

As a state authority, a thirteen-member Board of Directors governs the activities of the GPA. The Board is appointed by the governor, from the state at large, to serve four-year, staggered terms. A President/CEO, an experienced international transportation professional, implements policy directives, administrative duties and managerial controls.

As one of the state’s largest public employers, the GPA directly employs almost 1,800 trained logistics professionals. The GPA, however, is responsible for generating far more employment throughout the state. GPA operations, together with private sector, port-related operations, account for more than 651,000 full and part-time jobs statewide, which is 12% of Georgia’s employment. They create $174 billion in sales which is 11% of Georgia’s total sales. They contribute $10 billion in federal taxes, $3 billion in state tax revenues and $3 billion in local tax revenues.

The Port of Savannah, home to the largest single-terminal container facility of its kind in North America, is comprised of two modern, deepwater terminals: Garden City Terminal and Ocean Terminal. Together, these facilities exemplify the GPA’s exacting standards of efficiency and productivity. The Port of Savannah sees is one of the best-connected ports in the U.S. to world markets with 35 ship calls a week, 42 doublestack trains per week and 14,000 truck gate moves daily. 

Garden City Terminal is the third busiest container handling facilities in the United States, encompassing more than 1,500 acres and moving millions of tons of containerized cargo annually. Sitting on 85-acres at Garden City Terminal, Georgia Ports’ Mason Mega Rail is the largest on-terminal intermodal facility in North America.

Ocean Terminal is undergoing improvements with berth and container yard renovations under way at the 200-acre facility to serve two large container ships simultaneously and offer 2 million TEU annual capacity.  Phase 1 renovations to the first 1,325-foot berth have been completed, with Phase 2 to be completed in June 2026, for a total of 2,650 feet of berth.

GPA’s port master plan is designed to deliver the capacity customers need to grow their business in Georgia. The first half of the Ocean Terminal container yard renovation will be completed in 2027, the second half in 2028.

The Port of Brunswick is comprised of three GPA-owned deepwater terminals, two of which are directly operated by the GPA. The port’s well-earned reputation for productivity and efficiency is heightened by its position as No. 1 gateway in the nation for auto and heavy machinery. Today, more than 20 major auto manufacturers, supported by four auto processors, utilize the Colonels Island Terminal, with over $262 million in recent upgrades and a new $100 million fourth berth being built at the facility.  

Brunswick’s Mayor’s Point Terminal facilitates the export of Georgia’s valuable forest products, while Marine Port Terminals, operated by Logistec U.S.A., specializes in the handling of breakbulk and bulk commodities.

The Appalachian Regional Port is a joint effort of the state of Georgia, Murray County, the Georgia Ports Authority and CSX Transportation.  The inland rail terminal provides a powerful new gateway to global markets.

Port Bainbridge provides a strategic advantage for bulk commodities moving to and from the Southeastern United States.

The Blue Ridge Connector is a new the link between Savannah and Northeast Georgia in the heart of the manufacturing and logistics corridor along Interstate 85, in Hall County – opening Spring 2026.

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READ MORE: “Georgia Ports – your gateway to the world.”