Port of Savannah - nation’s busiest for cotton shipments

A manufacturing boom in the Indian subcontinent and Mediterranean is driving increased demand for cotton exports shipped through Savannah.

“We want to do everything we can to ensure the competitiveness of the U.S. cotton industry in world markets. Our Savannah supply chain connectivity, affordability and timing are essential options for exporters to navigate market fluctuations,” said Georgia Ports’ Chief Commercial Officer Flavio Batista.

The Port of Savannah is the nation’s busiest port for cotton shipments, handling 37 percent of the U.S. export market in fiscal year 2025 with nine direct weekly container services to the Indian subcontinent and eight weekly container services to the Mediterranean.

“Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City Terminal is an essential gateway for U.S. cotton each marketing year for two essential reasons,” said Michael Symonanis, strategic network director for the Louis Dreyfus Company. “Georgia is the second largest cotton producing state, so there is a natural local demand for Savannah. At the same time, GPA’s investment in the Mason Mega Rail terminal supports export demand from Midsouth states to key markets like Bangladesh, India and Turkey. This combination continues to result in Savannah handling multiples of the U.S. cotton volume of other Southeast and Mid-Atlantic ports.”