Georgia Ports Bets $100M on New Brunswick Berth as RoRo Volumes Surge Toward 800,000 Units

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The Georgia Ports Authority is accelerating a $100 million expansion of Roll-on Roll-off capacity at the Port of Brunswick, after the gateway retained its position as the busiest U.S. port for automobiles in 2025 with 779,000 units handled.

The investment comes as rising manufacturing output across the U.S. Southeast drives demand for vehicle and heavy machinery shipments, increasing pressure on berth space, storage, and inland connectivity. The port also processed more than 53,000 units of heavy equipment and recorded 731 vessel calls last year, underscoring its growing role in project and breakbulk-linked cargo flows.

Officials said the expansion, including a fourth RoRo berth and expanded rail infrastructure, is designed to reduce vessel turnaround times, improve cargo handling efficiency, and position Brunswick to handle larger ships and higher volumes in the coming years.

Griff Lynch, President and CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority, said the new berth, scheduled to open in November 2027, will allow vessel operators to “turn ships faster, save costs and optimize their fleet.”

Construction of Berth 4 at Colonels Island is about 30 percent complete, with infrastructure designed to accommodate vessels up to 975 feet in length. The expansion is part of a broader push to increase throughput capacity as global car carriers deploy larger vessels to improve economies of scale.

In parallel, the port has expanded storage capacity, adding more than 680,000 square feet of covered space and over 160 acres of additional vehicle storage. Colonels Island now spans 1,700 acres, with a further 264 acres reserved for future development, giving Brunswick more RoRo storage capacity than any other U.S. port.

The port is also strengthening inland connections. Phase I of the Southside Railyard has increased annual rail capacity from 175,000 to 370,000 vehicles, with a second phase due by 2029 that will add another 250,000 units.

This expansion is expected to open new inland markets for automakers and heavy equipment manufacturers, enabling direct access to Brunswick’s global shipping network, which includes all major RoRo carriers serving the U.S. East Coast.

Harbor improvements are underway to support larger vessels and improve transit efficiency. Maintenance dredging in the inner harbor was completed in March, while outer harbor dredging is scheduled for completion by September 2026. The deeper channel will allow fully loaded vessels to move without waiting for high tide, reducing delays and improving schedule reliability.

A separate federally backed project will widen channel bends and expand the turning basin at Colonels Island. The U.S. government has allocated $11.35 million, with additional funding from the state of Georgia and the port authority.

Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia, said continued port investment is central to maintaining the state’s competitiveness in global trade, highlighting infrastructure as a key driver of economic growth.

The surge in RoRo volumes is increasingly linked to project cargo and heavy machinery movements tied to industrial expansion across the Southeast, including energy, construction, and manufacturing sectors.

In fiscal year 2025, the Georgia Ports Authority completed $284 million in self-financed improvements at Brunswick, alongside upgrades at Mayor’s Point Terminal, where a new 100,000 square foot warehouse for breakbulk cargo has been added.

With a $5 billion long-term investment plan, including additional berth capacity in Savannah, the authority is positioning its port network to handle sustained growth in both containerized and non-containerized cargo flows, as supply chains shift closer to U.S. production hubs.