OOCL Iris becomes largest vessel to serve Savannah

The OOCL Iris, the largest capacity vessel to ever call the Port of Savannah, arrived at Garden City Terminal Tuesday, Feb. 25.

With a maximum capacity of 16,828 twenty-foot equivalent container units, the OOCL Iris is 1,204 feet long and 167 feet wide. The CMA CGM Marco Polo held the previous maximum capacity record at the Port of Savannah, at 16,022 TEUs.

The Port of Savannah will perform more than 2,800 container moves on and off the Iris, mostly 40-foot containers equaling just over 5,000 TEUs. The vessel is slated to depart Savannah around midnight Wednesday, Feb. 26.

In 2026, the Georgia Department of Transportation will begin construction on a project to replace existing cables on the Talmadge Bridge, lifting its height. This will allow even larger vessels to serve the Port of Savannah.