Georgia Ports launches new harbor deepening study

June 2, 2026 – The Georgia Ports Authority has issued a letter of intent to Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, detailing GPA’s plans to begin a Savannah Harbor modification study.

“The shipping channel needs to be deepened and widened to better accommodate the largest ships currently serving Savannah and to prepare for even larger, more efficient vessels expected to serve the U.S. East Coast,” said Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch. “Channel improvements are the next step in preparing Savannah for the future. Along with five new container berths on the way, the new Gainesville Inland Port and multiple Georgia DOT projects, the pieces are all coming together in Savannah as the gateway of choice for the Southeast.”

GPA will work closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete the study under the authority of Section 203 of the Water Resources Development Act. The study will consider deepening the channel and adding passing lanes for two-way ship traffic. It was authorized under WRDA 2024, with initial funding of $500,000 awarded in Congress’ fiscal year 2026 budget.

“By initiating this study, we are taking a proactive step to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a competitive asset,” said GPA Board Chairman Alec Poitevint. “We appreciate the leadership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, our federal delegation and state partners for their support. Together, we are positioning Georgia’s gateway to deliver greater efficiency, capacity and long-term economic value for our customers and the nation.”

The Corps of Engineers will provide technical assistance and retain final review and approval authority, including oversight of environmental and economic analyses. The Corps’ feasibility study for the previous Savannah Harbor expansion found $7.70 in economic benefit to the nation for every dollar spent on construction.

A deeper harbor is needed to allow large ships to load more cargo and avoid tidal delays. Passing lanes will allow arriving and departing ships to transit the channel simultaneously, resulting in faster vessel service. The Port of Savannah now serves vessels capable of carrying more than 16,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs — twice the size the channel was designed to accommodate.

The Savannah Harbor modifications feasibility study will assess market demand for the port and establish a vessel class for the design of any proposed deepening. The process will include projecting which ship sizes will be most common in Savannah’s future and then designing harbor modifications to accommodate that vessel class. The study will also examine any impact modifications might have on the estuary, as well as potential economic benefits for the nation.

Growing to Meet Demand

The Savannah River shipping channel has been expanded three times for navigation purposes: in 1945, 1994 and 2022. The first expansion, in 1945, dredged the river to 38 feet. In 1994, the channel was deepened to 42 feet, and in 2022 the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project deepened the channel to 47 feet.

Federal impact studies and seven years of construction meant the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project was completed more than 20 years after its original design, which anticipated vessels carrying 8,200 TEUs as the primary workhorses on the U.S. East Coast.

Once the study is finished, the Corps will recommend to Congress whether to further expand the Savannah Harbor. Any project would require additional congressional authorization, followed by federal and nonfederal funding for construction.

ABOUT GEORGIA PORTS

Georgia’s Ports in Savannah and Brunswick are strategic gateways, creating the most competitive supply chains in the nation with their level of operations, connectivity and supply chain ecosystem. These attributes combined with Georgia’s ranking as the top state to do business for 12 consecutive years create a very unique business model for growth. The Port of Savannah is one of the best-connected ports in the U.S. to world markets with 35 ship calls a week, 42 doublestack trains per week and 14,000 truck gate moves daily. The Port of Brunswick is the top U.S. RoRo port for automotive and machinery logistics with over $262 million in recent upgrades and a new $100 million fourth berth being built. GPA has a self-financed $4.5 billion investment plan for the next ten years which will see five new big ship berths added in Savannah and a fourth berth in Brunswick to meet future growth. In the past decade, GPA has invested $3.2 billion in infrastructure improvements. As part of GPA’s community engagement efforts, $6 million is being donated to port communities to support a multi-year, local workforce housing initiative. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Edward Fulford, Manager of Media Relations at efulford@gaports.com 912-964-3806.

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