According to USATradeonline, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA)’s Port of Brunswick had the highest RoRo exports in the country last year, with 600,000 tonnes.
Brunswick set a record for individual RoRo units in 2024, handling 901,912 vehicles and heavy equipment. Automobiles are up 13.3 per cent, while heavy equipment is up 160 per cent, due to GPA’s investment in specialised storage and processing capacity.
In 2024, GPA completed $262 million in renovations to the Port of Brunswick, which included expanded warehouse and processing facilities as well as 122 acres of RoRo cargo storage.
A new railyard on Colonel’s Island has begun construction, and engineering for a fourth dock for RoRo vessels is underway.
READ: Port of Brunswick records 26 per cent increase in RoRo volumes
Georgia Ports Authority, CEO Gryff Lynch, said: “This is an important milestone in our journey to be the best RoRo port in the industry. “I would like to thank our customers for their continued trust in GPA, and our partners – the ILA, auto processors and Brunswick Pilots for making Colonel’s Island the nation’s premier RoRo port.”
Lynch further stated that new infrastructure and improved collaborations are paving the way for an additional increase in RoRo capacity and trade at Georgia Ports.
Lynch highlighted that market conditions favour the continuous growth of Brunswick trade. Two main drivers are the expansion of manufacturing and the expanding population in the US Southeast.
These combined circumstances will result in greater exports and imports to the port. Vehicle exports are predicted to increase by 9 per cent in 2024, while vehicle imports at Colonel’s Island are expected to increase by 20 per cent over 2023.
Another key element favouring trade through Colonel’s Island is that larger ships are on their way.
READ: Georgia Ports to increase capacity in Brunswick
Lynch stated that the Port of Brunswick expects to handle bigger vessels transporting more automobiles and heavy equipment.
The typical RoRo vessel nowadays has between 4,000 and 8,000 CEUs. Lynch stated that RoRo carriers are likely to transport 10,800 CEU vessels to Brunswick over the next two to three years.
“Similar to the dynamic of growing containerships, these larger RoRo vessels are e xpected to call on fewer ports and handle greater influxes of RoRo units during each visit,” Lynch said.
“The 1,700-acre Colonel’s Island Terminal is uniquely qualified to handle these larger transactions thanks to our scale of operations and efficiency.”
