SAVANNAH — The tariff drag on Georgia’s ports was fleeting.
Container traffic through the Port of Savannah returned at near-record volumes in August, topping 500,000 units for the fourth time in the last six months. August was the third-best month in the port’s history as trade bounced back from a “freight air pocket” tied to President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcements earlier this year.
Those tariff threats led to a temporary period of canceled ship sailings from the Georgia Ports Authority’s biggest trade partner, China. Traffic slumped in June to its worst point in two years and was off marginally in July before the August surge.
Ship traffic remained strong in September, according to Ports Authority CEO Griff Lynch, but is expected to level off for the final three months of the year as markets adjust to trade deals negotiated in July and August. Those included increased tariff rates on several of Georgia’s key partners, including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the UK, Japan and the European Union.
Ocean carriers have canceled sailings for the months ahead and lowered cargo projections.