Georgia ports head touts East Coast-leading growth, avoids tariff talk in annual 'State of the Port'

Caption

A container ship sails beneath the Talmadge Memorial Bridge toward the Port of Savannah.

Credit: Benjamin Payne / GPB News

Georgia Ports Authority president and CEO Griff Lynch announced East Coast-leading growth at the Port of Savannah during his annual State of the Port address Tuesday, highlighting ambitious expansion plans aimed at increasing cargo capacity by roughly 60% in 10 years.

Speaking before a crowd of more than 1,500 business professionals at the newly expanded Savannah Convention Center on Hutchinson Island, Lynch shared that Savannah last year was the fastest-growing of all U.S. ports along both the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

Savannah's 12.5% rise in container volume over 2023 came despite a major labor dispute between East Coast ports and dockworkers, which prompted many customers to divert their shipments to the West Coast in fear of a protracted shutdown beyond the three-day October strike.

"Our team was at a major conference last week, and the customers were apologizing," Lynch said, referring to their cargo diversions to West Coast ports. "And we still grew by 12.5%."

In 2024, the Port of Savannah handled nearly 5.6 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) of cargo — a "phenomenal" figure, Lynch said — that allowed it to outperform the second-place Port of New York and New Jersey's year-over-year growth by just over 1%, and the third-place Port of Houston by more than 4%.

Lynch unveiled plans to increase Savannah's capacity significantly over the next decade, projecting growth to 7.5 million TEUs in 2030 before reaching 9 million TEUs in 2035.

To accommodate this expansion, he said, the port will increase its big-ship berths from seven to 12 over the next five years, while nearly doubling its current 53 truck lanes to 100 by 2030.

"We know there's a challenge," said Lynch, referring to the Savannah River's relatively shallow depth, which is currently unable to accommodate the next generation of massive container ships. "So, what we're doing right now is we're working with our federal partners," alluding to a planned multi-year project that would deepen the channel by 5 feet.

During his roughly 45-minute address, Lynch made no mention of the Trump administration's tariff policies, which include a new 10% levy paid by U.S. importers on goods from China, and a 25% levy set to take effect next week on goods from Canada and Mexico.

However, when asked about tariffs afterward during a meeting with reporters, Lynch said that multiple port customers told Georgia Ports Authority staff at a conference last week that they are "going to provide the source-shifting it takes to manage through the tariffs. They don't see it right now having a major impact on their business."

Georgia Ports Authority vice chairman Alec Poitevint echoed this sentiment, telling reporters, "I think it's important we're thinking long term. Nothing's changed. [It's] an opportunity for us to perform and to excel, and that's what we will do, regardless of what goes on."

Prior to Lynch's State of the Port presentation, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp addressed attendees in a video, calling the state's two ports in Savannah and Brunswick "key economic drivers" for communities statewide.

"Our state has been consistently ranked as one of the best in the nation for infrastructure," Kemp said, pointing to a 2024 CNBC study which ranked Georgia as the fourth-best state for business and the top in infrastructure.

"Our ports play a large role in that competitive position, and that's why we're continuing to invest in enhancing these gateways to global commerce, along with our roads and bridges," Kemp said.

Major projects highlighted in Lynch's address included plans by the Georgia Department of Transportation to raise Savannah's Talmadge Memorial Bridge by 20 feet in order to allow larger vessels to pass beneath — a project which Lynch said he expects to begin next year and finish by 2029.

Other initiatives discussed included the creation of a new container terminal on Hutchinson Island and the development of inland port facilities, including the Blue Ridge Connector railyard scheduled to open next year in Gainesville, northeast of Atlanta.

The Georgia Ports Authority will mark its 80th anniversary next month, which Lynch heralded as a major milestone for both port staff and Georgia's oldest city, describing Savannah's historic charm as a key advantage in attracting and retaining international customers.