U.S. Customs to open chilled cargo inspection site at the Port of Savannah

Jun 09, 2026

Starting July 1, U.S. Customs and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin chilled cargo inspections at a refrigerated facility at the Port of Savannah. The on-site warehouse offers produce importers the option to have containers inspected on-terminal, allowing for quicker release of the cargo. (Georgia Ports)

Georgia Ports customers will have a new option for chilled cargo inspections starting July 1, 2026, when operations begin at U.S. Customs’ 4,000 square-foot refrigerated space at the Port of Savannah.

“Our on-terminal Customs station supports the expedited handling of perishable cargo,” said GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch. “We know it’s important for shippers to get these commodities onto store shelves as quickly as possible while maintaining food safety.”

Refrigerated cargo inspections will be performed in a temperature-controlled environment, without breaking the cold chain. Port officials said the facility has specialized infrastructure to ensure temperature controls, cleanliness, ventilation and freshness throughout the clearance and inspection process. There are 20 refrigerated power plug-ins on the exterior walls for refrigerated containers on chassis.

The inspections are aimed in part at protecting domestic agriculture from invasive pests or plant diseases. The temperature-controlled section of the facility offers produce importers a new option to have chilled cargo inspected on-port, and will complement the numerous off-dock, nearby refrigerated warehouses. A dozen Savannah-area businesses operate nearly 2.4 million square feet of refrigerated warehousing, including 1.64 million square feet for frozen cargo and over 752,000 square feet of chilled space.

The Port of Savannah’s new inspection site supports one of the fastest-growing sectors for GPA. Chilled cargo imports are up 10.5 percent for the fiscal year to date (July 1, 2025-May 31, 2026) to 43,540 twenty-foot equivalent container units.

The refrigerated space is part of a $49.25 million project that moved U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations from their previous 130,000 square-foot location on Garden City Terminal to an adjacent 300,000 square-foot building, also on terminal.

The location accommodates federal inspections, not only by Customs, but also other agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition to the warehouse, the new space for CBP includes 400,000 square feet of parking for outdoor inspections.