Appalachian Regional Port achieves record volume.

Brunswick sees 22 percent growth in heavy machinery.

SAVANNAH, Ga., Sept. 15, 2026 – The Port of Savannah moved 529,523 twenty-foot equivalent container units in August which was flat with less than a 1 percent decline compared to the same month last year. Export loads totaled 117,242 TEUs in August, up nearly 4,700 TEUs or 4.2 percent. Import loads totaled 265,859, up approximately 3,800 TEUs or 1.5 percent.

“Asia weather and Panama Canal water levels are being felt in August supply chains. For September, we are seeing strong numbers on the water and the Suez Canal seems to be picking up,” said Griff Lynch, CEO of Georgia Ports Authority. “The customer demand is present for Savannah, however typhoons in Asia and El Nino in Panama are affecting volumes.”

The Georgia Ports Authority handled 1.03 million TEUs in July and August, the first two months of its fiscal year. The fiscal year-to-date number is up 2.2 percent or 22,537 TEUs compared to the same period last year.

“We’re off to a strong start, with more than a million TEUs moving through Georgia’s ports in the first two months of the fiscal year. At the same time, we’re improving truck efficiency,” said GPA President Kevin Price.

Garden City Terminal in Savannah achieved truck turn times of 43 minutes for dual import-export transactions last month, shaving 6.5 minutes off its previous six-month average. Nearly 80 percent of Savannah’s truck transactions are dual moves.  15,000 truck gate transactions are handled between 4 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays.

“The Georgia Ports Authority and the entire state of Georgia are focused on providing a superior customer experience in all aspects of the supply chain,” added GPA Chairman Alec Poitevint.

Record volume in ARP

August was a record month for the Appalachian Regional Port, with volumes up 10 percent compared to August 2025.

For the first two months of the fiscal year, the ARP is up more than 25 percent over the same period last year.

Brunswick’s Heavy Machinery Up 22 Percent

At the Port of Brunswick, heavy machinery volumes reached 4,726 units in August, an increase of 3,884 or nearly 22 percent.

The Port of Brunswick handled 60,572 total units of autos and heavy machinery in August, a reduction of 3,348 units or 5 percent compared to the previous August. Luxury vehicle manufacturers continue to see stronger competition from domestic Chinese producers, reducing U.S. exports to that market.

Construction on a fourth berth at Colonels Island has reached the halfway mark. The $100 million project will be complete in November 2027, enabling service to vessels carrying 7,000-plus vehicles.

ABOUT GEORGIA PORTS

Georgia’s Ports in Savannah and Brunswick are strategic gateways, creating the most competitive supply chains in the nation with their level of operations, connectivity and supply chain ecosystem. These attributes combined with Georgia’s ranking as the top state to do business for 12 consecutive years create a strong business model for growth. The Port of Savannah is one of the best-connected ports in the U.S. to world markets with 40 ship calls a week, 42 double-stack trains per week and 15,000 truck gate moves daily. The Port of Brunswick is the number 1 ranked U.S. RoRo port by annual volumes for autos and has an increasing amount of machinery cargoes with its expanded high and heavy cargo operating space.  GPA has a self-financed investment plan of nearly $5 billion for the next ten years which will see five big ship container berths added in Savannah (the most of any U.S. container port) and a fourth RoRo berth in Brunswick to meet future growth. Over the past 10 years, the GPA board has approved $4.13 billion in infrastructure improvements. As part of GPA’s community engagement efforts, $6 million is being donated to port communities to support a multi-year, local workforce housing initiative, helping over 230 families repair, buy or build a home in the Savannah area since its start in September 2023. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Edward Fulford, Manager of Media Relations at [email protected]  912-964-3806.