Georgia Ports CEO: Brunswick now top port for autos, heavy equipment

Georgia Ports’ Colonel’s Island Terminal at the Port of Brunswick handled more than 2 million tons of roll-on/roll-off cargo in 2024, making it the nation’s busiest port for autos and heavy equipment, Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch said yesterday at the "Brunswick State of the Port" event.

The Port of Brunswick reported a record cargo year, handling 901,912 individual units of autos and heavy equipment in 2024. Auto movements were up 13.3% and heavy equipment movements up 160% due to $262 million worth of improvements made to the port in 2024, Georgia Port Authority (GPA) officials said in a press release.

Construction is underway on a new rail yard on Colonel’s Island to expand the port’s capacity to export vehicles arriving by rail. Meanwhile, the existing Myd Harris yard will undergo an upgrade this year, adding rail switching services to the terminal.

Phase I of the new rail yard will increase the port’s annual rail capacity from approximately 150,000 autos to more than 340,000 by mid-2025, GPA officials said. Phase II will result in an annual rail capacity of 590,000 units. More than 90% of vehicles moving by rail in Brunswick are U.S.-made exports, GPA officials said.

The Port of Brunswick is served by Genesee & Wyoming's Golden Isles Terminal Railroad, which interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway.