The Georgia Ports Authority had its second busiest year ever in 2025, handling nearly 5.7 million 20-foot equivalent container units of cargo, an increase of 146,000 units — 2.6% — compared to 2024, according to a release from the Authority.
The 2025 total was second only to 2022, when approximately 5.9 million units crossed the Port of Savannah's docks, GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch reported to the Authority's board Monday.
"The Ports of Savannah and Brunswick have been critical to Georgia's ability to attract new jobs and investment, connecting manufacturers with markets around the world," Gov. Brian Kemp said. "This new highwater mark is just the latest reminder that these economic engines remain essential to our status as the No. 1 state for business, and I want to thank the hardworking longshoremen and the great team at the Georgia Ports Authority for making this possible."
Georgia Ports served 1,669 container ships in 2025, moving an average of 1,878 containers on and off each vessel. Savannah offers 39 weekly container services to global destinations, the most of any port on the South Atlantic or Gulf Coasts.
"I would like to thank our customers, GPA Team, Gateway Terminals, ILA and our trucking and rail partners that all play a central role in making the Savannah experience successful every day," Lynch said. "We are well positioned to help our customers navigate the challenging market conditions ahead."
Rail service from the port
Also, in 2025, the Port of Savannah handled a record 545,214 containers by rail, the fifth straight year over half a million.
And the port improved its "speed to rail" time, closing out the year with containers moving from a vessel to a train in only 22 hours, compared to 28 hours at the start of 2025.
The on-port Mason Mega Rail Terminal handles 42 double-stack trains per week to destinations such as Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Charlotte and Orlando.
Georgia Ports' Appalachian Regional Port in Chatsworth also delivered 45,700 containers in 2025, a record 19% increase from the year before. The Blue Ridge Connector, a new Inland terminal, will open mid-2026 in Gainesville and serve the Northeastern Georgia manufacturing center.
The Port of Savannah also handled 14,000-16,000 truck moves daily, Monday through Friday. In 2025, dual moves — in which a driver delivers an export and picks up an import — took an average of only 50 minutes on terminal. Single moves averaged 32 minutes.
Georgia Ports is in the midst of a self-financed, $4.5 billion port and inland infrastructure plan that will add five new container berths in Savannah, the most new berths of any U.S. port and one new Roll On/Roll Off (RoRo) berth in Brunswick.
Roll-on/Roll-off cargo in the Port of Brunswick faced headwinds in 2025
In Roll-on/Roll-off cargo, the Port of Brunswick, for calendar year 2025, handled 832,194 units of autos and heavy equipment, down approximately 68,200 units or 7.5%, compared to the previous year.
Heavy equipment alone accounted for 51,677 units of the total volume in 2025.
The global trade in autos and heavy equipment faced several headwinds last year, according to the release. Manufacturers reduced production and shipment of some vehicles to the U.S., while evaluating global manufacturing location changes and target markets.
During the summer, auto manufacturers paused shipments from factories temporarily closed in Mexico, Europe and Asia. Luxury vehicle exports to China decreased, in part because auto manufacturers faced stiff competition from domestic Chinese producers, the release stated.