ATLANTA – Increased storage capacity is helping the Port of Savannah offset some of the impacts of the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Last month was Savannah’s second busiest May on record, exceeded only by May of 2022. Savannah handled 500,900 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), up 2.2% over the same month last year, the Georgia Ports Authority reported Tuesday.
The added storage capacity is giving port customers greater flexibility in timing supply-chain movements, said Griff Lynch, the authority’s president and CEO.
“Garden City Terminal West was specifically built for long-term storage for import and export cargo,” he said. “Our customers tell us they have been looking for a service option like this to manage supply-chain speed fluctuations.”
Meanwhile, business was less robust at the Port of Brunswick. The port’s Colonels Island Terminal moved 79,134 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo last month, including 73,995 autos, a decrease of 8.6% compared to May of last year. May of 2024 was the ports authority’s second busiest month on record for RoRo cargo, at 86,608 units.
The first phase of a new rail yard being built on the south side of Colonels Island will go into service next month, doubling the rail capacity at Brunswick from five to 10 trains per week.
The $22 million investment will increase annual rail capacity to more than 340,000 units. More than 90% of vehicles moving by rail in Brunswick are U.S. exports.