Renovations at the Port of Savannah's Ocean Terminal are now more than 60 percent complete, and a new 2,650-foot berth is finished and working ships, the Georgia Ports Authority said.
The $1.6 billion project will grow the facility's annual container capacity from 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units to 1.75 million TEUs when completed in 2028.
"Ocean Terminal is a major part of our strategy to prepare Savannah for future growth. The renovated berth is fully completed and ready for big ships," GPA CEO Griff Lynch said at the GPA Board meeting Tuesday.
GPA will work smaller vessels at Ocean Terminal until mid-fall 2027, when the first phase of the container yard renovation is complete. The entire Ocean Terminal yard will be completed by the end of 2028.
The truck gate at Ocean Terminal is fully operational and will feature 12 inbound and six outbound lanes. A $29 million port-funded overpass routes departing trucks directly onto U.S. 17 and Interstate 16, bypassing neighborhood streets.
"Transforming a 200-acre terminal while keeping the port operating is a tremendous undertaking, and the progress at Ocean Terminal is a testament to the hard work of our GPA team and our partners," GPA Board Chairman Alec Poitevint said.
The improvements are part of GPA's port master plan. Over the next 10 years, Georgia Ports plans to invest $5 billion in capacity enhancements, adding five container berths in Savannah and one RoRo berth in Brunswick.
In other updates, the Panama Canal Authority increased neopanamax booking slots by one additional transit on Sept. 28, 2026, as rainfall raised water levels in Gatun Lake, with vessel drafts projected to return to a maximum 50 feet by November. Ocean carriers including Maersk and CMA CGM are testing a return to Suez Canal routes, cutting India-to-Savannah transit times by 10 to 14 days.
The Port of Savannah handled 529,523 TEUs in August, with export loads up 4.2 percent to 117,242 TEUs and import loads up 1.5 percent to 265,859. The Port of Brunswick handled 60,572 total units of autos in August, with heavy machinery up 22 percent.
"We are encouraged by the demand for the Port of Savannah and expect a strong finish to the year," said Kevin Price, President of Georgia Ports.
Georgia Department of Transportation crews are surveying and inspecting the Talmadge Bridge ahead of cable replacement work scheduled to begin later this year. Shorter cables will raise the bridge deck by up to 21 feet, and the bridge will remain open to traffic during the project, expected to finish in 2029-2030.
GPA will hold its Savannah State of the Port event Oct. 14 at the Savannah Convention Center, presenting Fiscal Year 2026 performance, infrastructure investments and strategic outlook.