Savannah Port: Fastest Growing US Port

April 8, 2026 · 9 min read · Port Operations

The Port of Savannah is the fastest-growing major container port in the United States and the fourth-busiest overall, handling approximately 5.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in its fiscal year 2024. Operated by the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), the port is anchored by the Garden City Terminal — the single largest container terminal in North America at over 1,300 acres — and has more than doubled its container volume over the past decade. Located along the Savannah River approximately 18 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, the port serves as the primary East Coast alternative to the Port of New York and New Jersey, offering shippers fast access to the rapidly growing Southeast US market and competitive intermodal rail connections to the Midwest.

History and Development

Savannah has been a port city since its founding by James Oglethorpe in 1733. For centuries, the port served primarily as an export point for agricultural products — first rice and indigo, then cotton, which dominated the port's trade through the Civil War era and well into the 20th century. The Georgia Ports Authority was established in 1945 to modernize and develop the state's port facilities.

The transformation to a major container port began in earnest in the 1990s, when the GPA invested aggressively in expanding the Garden City Terminal and attracting container shipping lines. The port's growth strategy was built on a simple proposition: offer lower costs, faster truck turn times, and abundant land for expansion compared to the congested and expensive ports of the Northeast.

The strategy worked. Between 2000 and 2024, the Port of Savannah grew from roughly 1.5 million TEUs to 5.8 million TEUs — a nearly fourfold increase that outpaced every other major US port. The growth accelerated after the 2016 Panama Canal expansion, which enabled larger vessels on all-water routes from Asia to bypass congested West Coast ports and call directly at Savannah.

The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP), authorized by Congress in 2014 and completed in 2022 at a cost of $973 million, deepened the harbor channel from 42 feet to 47 feet. This depth allows larger neo-Panamax vessels to call at the port with full loads, further strengthening Savannah's competitive position on all-water routes from Asia.

Infrastructure and Capacity

The Garden City Terminal is the crown jewel of the Port of Savannah and the defining infrastructure asset that separates it from East Coast competitors.

Key infrastructure specifications include:

Garden City Terminal acreage: Over 1,300 acres — the largest single container terminal in North America
Container berths: 9 berths at Garden City Terminal, with an additional 6 berths planned under the expansion program
Container cranes: 36 ship-to-shore gantry cranes, including 30 neo-Panamax cranes with 22+ container row outreach
Channel depth: 47 feet (inner harbor), following the completion of SHEP in 2022
Container yard capacity: Over 100,000 ground slots for container storage
On-terminal rail: Mason Mega Rail Terminal — a $220 million intermodal rail facility with 18 working tracks spanning 9,500 feet, capable of building and receiving unit trains
Annual TEU capacity: Approximately 9.5 million TEUs at current planned build-out

The Mason Mega Rail Terminal, which became fully operational in 2023, is a game-changer for the port. Prior to its construction, Savannah's rail operations were constrained by a smaller on-terminal facility that required trains to be assembled off-site. The Mega Rail Terminal can handle 1 million container lifts per year and builds unit trains on-terminal for direct service to Atlanta, Memphis, Chicago, and other inland markets. This capability allows Savannah to compete for cargo destined for the Midwest, traditionally the domain of West Coast ports using intermodal rail.

The GPA has also embarked on a massive expansion of the Garden City Terminal itself. Phase 1 of the terminal expansion will add 25% more container yard capacity and additional berths, with construction expected to be completed by 2028. The authority has also developed the Colonel's Island facility, located downstream from Garden City, which handles roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro), bulk, and breakbulk cargo, as well as a growing volume of neo-bulk agricultural exports.

Trade Routes and Key Commodities

The Port of Savannah serves a diverse set of trade routes, with growing emphasis on trans-Pacific all-water services.

Major trade lanes include:

Asia (all-water via Panama or Suez): The fastest-growing segment, driven by the Panama Canal expansion and shipper diversification away from West Coast ports
Northern Europe: Traditional transatlantic services to and from major European hubs
Mediterranean: Services connecting to Southern European and North African ports
Indian Subcontinent: Growing trade with India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
Latin America: Services to Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and the Caribbean

Top import commodities include:

Furniture and home furnishings — the largest import category, destined for retailers and distribution centers across the Southeast
Retail consumer goods — including home improvement products, household items, and seasonal merchandise
Automotive parts — supplying the extensive network of assembly plants in the Southeast (BMW in South Carolina, Mercedes-Benz and Honda in Alabama, Hyundai/Kia in Georgia, VW in Tennessee)
Apparel and textiles — from Asian and Central American manufacturers
Machinery and equipment — industrial and agricultural equipment

Export commodities include:

Poultry and meat products — Georgia and the Southeast are the largest poultry-producing regions in the US
Kaolin clay — Georgia produces approximately 60% of the US supply of this industrial mineral
Wood pulp and paper products — from the extensive forestry operations in the Southeast
Resins and chemicals — from Gulf Coast and Southeastern chemical producers
Agricultural products — cotton, peanuts, pecans, and other crops

Strategic Advantages

The Port of Savannah's rapid growth is driven by several structural advantages that are difficult for competitors to replicate.

Land availability: The Garden City Terminal's 1,300+ acres provide room for expansion that is simply unavailable at most East Coast ports. The Port of NY/NJ, hemmed in by dense urban development, cannot meaningfully expand its terminal footprint. Savannah can and is doing exactly that.

Trucking efficiency: The port consistently achieves truck turn times of under 30 minutes, compared to over an hour at many competing ports. This efficiency is a function of the terminal's vast yard space, optimized gate operations, and the relatively uncongested road network surrounding the port. For drayage operators, time is money, and Savannah's speed translates directly into lower logistics costs.

Southeast market access: The Southeast is the fastest-growing region of the United States, driven by population migration, manufacturing investment (particularly automotive and advanced manufacturing), and expanding distribution center networks. Savannah provides overnight truck access to over 45 million consumers across Georgia, Florida, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Intermodal rail: The Mason Mega Rail Terminal enables Savannah to compete for Midwest-destined cargo on transit time and cost. A container arriving at Savannah can reach Chicago by rail in approximately 72 hours — competitive with rail transit from the West Coast ports.

Lower costs: Labor costs, real estate costs, and overall logistics costs in the Savannah area are significantly lower than in the Northeast or Southern California, providing a structural cost advantage that benefits the entire supply chain.

Who Operates at the Port of Savannah?

Unlike many major ports where terminals are leased to private operators, the Georgia Ports Authority operates the Garden City Terminal directly as a common-user facility. All shipping lines share the same terminal infrastructure, managed by GPA employees. This model provides operational consistency and eliminates the competitive dynamics between terminal operators that can create inefficiencies at multi-terminal ports. Major shipping lines calling at Savannah include Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, ZIM, and Yang Ming.

How Does Savannah Compare to the Port of Charleston?

The Port of Charleston, located 100 miles to the north in South Carolina, is Savannah's closest East Coast competitor. Charleston handled approximately 2.8 million TEUs in 2024, roughly half of Savannah's volume. Charleston is investing heavily in the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, a new container facility designed to increase capacity. However, Savannah's advantages in terminal size, rail connectivity, and truck turn times have allowed it to grow at a faster rate. The two ports increasingly serve complementary rather than directly competitive markets.

Current Challenges and Future Outlook

Despite its remarkable growth trajectory, the Port of Savannah faces challenges. The Savannah River channel, even at its deepened 47-foot depth, is shallower than the 50-foot channels at ports like New York/New Jersey and the 76-foot channel at Long Beach. This limits the size of fully laden vessels that can call at the port, particularly on tidal windows.

The 18-mile river transit from the ocean to the Garden City Terminal adds time and complexity compared to ports located directly on the coast. Pilotage requirements, vessel speed restrictions in the river, and the need to manage two-way traffic in a relatively narrow channel create operational constraints that cannot be easily overcome.

Environmental and community concerns are also emerging. The harbor deepening project faced significant opposition from environmental groups concerned about impacts on freshwater wetlands, water quality, and the habitat of the endangered shortnose sturgeon. Future expansion proposals will face similar scrutiny.

Infrastructure investment must keep pace with growth. The port's capital program for 2024-2030 exceeds $5 billion, covering terminal expansion, additional cranes, gate automation, and rail capacity improvements. Funding this program — through a combination of port revenues, state appropriations, and federal grants — will require sustained political and financial commitment.

Conclusion

The Port of Savannah has established itself as the most dynamic container port in the United States, growing at a pace that has reshaped East Coast logistics patterns. Its combination of the largest single container terminal in North America, competitive intermodal rail, fast truck operations, and access to the booming Southeast market creates a value proposition that continues to attract cargo from traditional West Coast and Northeast gateways. For supply chain professionals and maritime analysts, Savannah is the port that best illustrates the ongoing rebalancing of American trade infrastructure from west to east.