Cargo surge amid tariff turmoil drives the Port of Savannah to its 2nd busiest year

Container ship Ever Far, left, sails down river past the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah in Savannah, Ga., Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Retailers scrambling to stock up ahead of anticipated stiff tariffs on imports boosted the Port of Savannah, one of the top U.S. container ports, to its second-busiest year ever, Georgia officials said Tuesday.

The Savannah port moved 5.7 million container units of imports and exports across its docks in the 2025 fiscal year that ended June 30, the Georgia Ports Authority reported. That’s an increase of 8.6% over the prior fiscal year and just shy of the record 5.76 million container units Savannah handled in fiscal 2022.

The growth was caused in part by a surge in cargo since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, promising heavy tariffs on China and other U.S. trading partners. But double-digit increases Savannah saw during the spring months were followed by a sizable drop in June container volumes as Trump’s on-again, off-again tactics continued to fuel uncertainty.