The Georgia Ports Authority convened its 57th annual Georgia International Trade Conference, bringing together customers, business partners and industry leaders to examine the latest developments in maritime logistics and supply chain strategy.
The central themes of the event were supply chain predictability and cost efficiency, reflecting the priorities of shippers operating in an increasingly complex global trade environment.
New research from Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain and Logistics Institute confirmed that routing cargo through the Port of Savannah saves shippers more than US$ 1,000 per container compared to West Coast gateways for shipments destined for Atlanta, Memphis and Nashville, while also delivering more consistent and predictable transit times.
The findings reinforced Savannah’s value proposition as a total cost and reliability gateway rather than simply an ocean rate decision.
The port’s operational metrics support this positioning. Forty container ships call at Savannah weekly, supported by 42 doublestack trains connecting to inland markets and the lowest rail dwell time in the nation at 20 hours or less.
The port handles 14,000 to 16,000 truck gate moves per day, with dual moves completed in under 50 minutes and single moves in 30 minutes.
The Mason Mega Rail facility recorded a landmark year in 2025, handling 591,000 containers.
With diesel costs rising, rail is increasingly attractive for cargo moving beyond 250 miles from the port, and the modal optionality available at Savannah is seen as a growing competitive differentiator.
Georgia Ports’ ten-year capital plan includes five new big-ship berths across Ocean Terminal and the Savannah Container Terminal, projecting 54% growth in container throughput.
Port officials highlighted the need for shipping channel improvements to better accommodate the largest vessels currently calling Savannah and to prepare for even larger ships expected to serve the US East Coast in the future.
Two major road infrastructure projects will further strengthen the port’s landside connectivity. The Georgia Department of Transportation will open the US$ 126 million Brampton Road Connector, a four-lane highway providing a direct link between the Garden City Terminal and the interstate system, eliminating at-grade rail crossings and removing truck traffic from local neighbourhoods.
A US$ 522 million project to reconstruct and widen Interstate 16 west of I-95 to three lanes in both directions is expected to begin construction in 2027.
