The Port of Savannah has handled 4.8 million TEUs in calendar year 2025 through October, up 183,250 TEUs or 4 per cent from the same period last year.
Monthly volumes in October totalled 452,934 TEUs, a decrease of 8.4 per cent or 41,325 TEUs compared with October 2024.
Colonels Island Terminal at the Port of Brunswick handled 72,234 units of autos and heavy equipment in October, up 3,700 units or 5.4 per cent compared with the same month last year.
For calendar year 2025 through October, the Port of Brunswick handled 689,662 units, down 67,750 units or 9 per cent.
“We’ve been impacted by the trade downturn, so we look forward to seeing more trade deals come together and we’re hopeful the market bounces back in the new year,” said Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch.
Located 50 miles from Atlanta, GPA’s $127 million Blue Ridge Connector inland rail facility is nearing completion. “We’re making strong progress and remain on track for a Spring 2026 opening,” Lynch added.
The facility will be served by rail from the Port of Savannah, creating an improved supply chain into Northeast Georgia’s regional population of more than 2 million people. The facility will help keep trucks out of Atlanta and decongest community roadways while spurring further economic development.
“Our Blue Ridge Connector service will create new opportunities for Georgia’s commerce to flow smoother and attract more jobs and prosperity to the Peach State,” said GPA Board Chairman Alec Poitevint.
“This is an example of how we support Governor Kemp and our State Legislature’s goal to make it easy to do business in Georgia.”
In the first year of operation, the rail service will eliminate 52,000 truck trips through Atlanta and is expected to grow exponentially as more volume is added. In future, this volume could rise to 400,000 truck trips based on demand GPA envisions.
This shift to rail will also reduce CO2 emissions by 90 per cent or 22,510 metric tonnes, compared with an all-truck route in the first year.
To reduce the facility’s impact on local residents in Gainesville, Ga., GPA contributed $4.8 million to Hall County road improvement projects eliminating an at-grade rail crossing, rerouting White Sulphur Road, and resurfacing Cagle Road.
The new White Sulphur Road alignment south of the inland terminal ensures free access for emergency vehicles and avoids traffic disruption from trains that local residents had experienced in the past. The new alignment and resurfacing of Cagle Road also offer an improved alternative for residents. Both projects were completed in late Summer 2025.
Once the facility opens, Norfolk Southern double stack trains will offer daily service Monday to Friday.
Earlier this summer, builders and local officials broke ground on a new Perma Cold Logistics cold storage facility near Brunswick, Georgia.
