LISTEN: The Port of Savannah is calling 2025 its second busiest year on record as businesses sourced inventory before tariffs kicked in. GPB's Chase McGee explains.

A cargo ship passes through on the Savannah River on January 6, 2023.

A cargo ship passes through on the Savannah River in 2023. The Port of Savannah said 2025 was its second-busiest year on record.

Credit: Sofi Gratas/GPB News

The Port of Savannah is calling 2025 its second-busiest year on record as businesses sourced inventory before tariffs kicked in.

Over the summer of 2025, American ports smashed records for imports, as businesses stocked up on products in anticipation of new tariff policy.

The Port of Savannah reported its second-busiest year on record, behind 2022, moving 5.7 million 20-foot equivalent container units of cargo, or TEUs.

Griffith Lynch, CEO of Georgia Ports Authority, said things could be slower in the first half of this year.

"We do anticipate softer demand for the next six months," he said. "But we're hearing our customers get excited about the second half of 2026 and perhaps going into 2027. Obviously, working out these tariff deals will be very important for our growth in the coming months."

Lynch also noted that the closure of paper mills owned by International Paper hurt the port's business, but he said a new customer will make up for the loss.

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