The Georgia Ports Authority has secured a federal permit for the $2.3 billion Savannah Container Terminal on Hutchinson Island, Georgia. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the 3.5 million TEU facility after a three-year review, with construction scheduled to begin in January 2028 and completion expected in the mid-2030s.
According to the Georgia Ports Authority, the Savannah Container Terminal will add 3.5 million TEU of annual capacity, roughly 45 percent of the 7.75 million TEU the Port of Savannah can handle today. In addition, the authority said the 350-acre terminal will be able to receive the largest container ships and will form a central part of its plan to reach a 12 million TEU gateway. Moreover, the work is being staged, with a $1.6 billion Ocean Terminal upgrade due to finish first.
Savannah is not alone in sequencing delivery around permits, grants and phased contracts. At the Port of Long Beach, the $2.2 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility is being built as 10 separate projects, four of which are already under construction, according to consultant Hill International. Furthermore, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners authorized a $283 million federal grant agreement with the Maritime Administration this year, while Jacobs serves as construction manager on a program targeted for completion in 2032.
Savannah Container Terminal Permit Follows Three-Year Federal Review
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, whose Savannah District administers wetland and stream permitting across Georgia, approved the Savannah Container Terminal permit after a review lasting three years. The Georgia Ports Authority announced the decision on Oct. 14 at its annual State of the Port of Savannah event.
Georgia Ports Authority president Kevin Price said the Savannah Container Terminal will play a central role in the authority’s growth and investment plans as it works toward a 12 million TEU port. Meanwhile, board chairman Alec Poitevint said the organization intends to keep playing “the long game” while focusing on service.
The schedule is longer than earlier filings suggested. A 2023 permit application described a 395-acre facility, with construction starting in 2026 and operations around 2030, as reported at the time by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Thus the Savannah Container Terminal has moved to a smaller 350-acre footprint with groundbreaking in January 2028. The reports on the approval do not explain the changes.
The site sits on Hutchinson Island, a roughly 2,000-acre island in the Savannah River, just across the water from Ocean Terminal. At 350 acres, the Savannah Container Terminal footprint equals more than 260 American football fields.
Savannah Container Terminal Adds Big-Ship Berths Alongside Ocean Terminal Upgrade
The Georgia Ports Authority has said the Savannah Container Terminal will include three new big-ship berths, with capacity added in phases based on demand. In addition, the terminal sits within a broader $5 billion infrastructure program, and the authority reports $4.13 billion in port and inland investment over the past decade.
The $1.6 billion Ocean Terminal upgrade will lift that facility from 200,000 TEU to 1.75 million TEU of annual capacity, with completion expected by the end of 2028. As a result, Ocean Terminal is scheduled to reach its new capacity well ahead of the Savannah Container Terminal opening.
Demand is the driver. The Port of Savannah handled 5.7 million TEU in fiscal year 2025, according to regional reporting, against current capacity of 7.75 million TEU. Therefore the authority is building headroom for the next growth cycle rather than responding to a backlog.
Georgia Ports Authority CEO Griff Lynch said a 3.5 million TEU facility is “not happening anywhere else in the United States of America,” while the authority also builds out Ocean Terminal. No design team, contractor or construction job figure was included in the announcement materials reviewed for the Savannah Container Terminal.
Savannah Container Terminal Arrives as Georgia Ports Authority Prepares for Leadership Change
Lynch will retire on Aug. 1, 2027, after 16 years with Georgia Ports, according to the authority. Over that period, the authority said revenues rose 213 percent and container volumes increased 90 percent. As a result, the Savannah Container Terminal groundbreaking, scheduled for roughly five months after his departure, will fall to a successor.
Lynch also said tariff-driven swings in cargo have eased as customers have built the duties into their supply chains. Furthermore, Georgia port activity supports about 651,000 full- and part-time jobs, equal to 12 percent of state employment, according to a University of Georgia Terry College of Business study cited by the authority. That is roughly one in eight jobs in the state.
Project Overview
- Project Name: Savannah Container Terminal
- Owner and Developer: Georgia Ports Authority
- Location: Hutchinson Island, Savannah River, Georgia
- Project Type: Marine container terminal
- Project Value: $2.3 billion
- Capacity: 3.5 million TEU annually
- Site Area: 350 acres
- Berths: Three big-ship berths, per the Georgia Ports Authority
- Status: Federal permit approved, announced Oct. 14, 2026
- Permitting Body: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, after a three-year review
- Construction Start: January 2028
- Target Completion: Mid-2030s
- Port Capacity Target: 12 million TEU, up from 7.75 million TEU today
- Related Investment: $1.6 billion Ocean Terminal upgrade, 200,000 TEU to 1.75 million TEU by end of 2028
- Construction Jobs: Not publicly disclosed
Project Team
- Owner and Developer: Georgia Ports Authority
- Permitting Authority: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District
- Design Team: Not publicly disclosed
- Contractors: Not yet awarded, undisclosed
- Related Project Owner (Pier B): Port of Long Beach
- Related Project Construction Manager (Pier B): Jacobs
- Related Project Consultant (Pier B): Hill International
- Related Project Federal Grantor (Pier B): Maritime Administration (MARAD), official site not verified
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