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Port of Savannah

America's Fastest-Growing Container Port — With No Emissions Controls

~650 t criteria pollutants emitted at berth annually

200K+ below-median-income residents in surrounding communities

$30M+ estimated annual public health cost of port emissions

ZERO mandatory at-berth emissions controls

Sources: ICCT Port Emissions Screening (2024); EPA Port Emissions Inventory Guidance; Georgia Ports Authority statistics; U.S. Census ACS; CDC PLACES (2024); EPA TRI; EPA EJScreen

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Port Overview

The Port of Savannah is the third-busiest container gateway in the United States and the fastest-growing major port on the East and Gulf coasts. The Georgia Ports Authority handled 5.6 million TEUs in 2024, a 12.5% increase over 2023. Garden City Terminal — at 1,345 acres, the largest single-container terminal in North America — sees 35 ship calls per week, 42 doublestack trains per week, and 14,000 daily truck gate moves.

The port is in the midst of a $4 billion expansion. The Savannah Container Terminal on Hutchinson Island is slated to open by 2030, adding 3 berths and 3.5 million TEUs of annual capacity — growing the port to 12.5 million TEUs by 2035. This expansion makes Savannah's health impact trajectory a critical question: without at-berth emissions controls, the health burden will grow in direct proportion to vessel traffic.1

Who Is Affected

The communities nearest to Garden City Terminal and Ocean Terminal are predominantly low-income and communities of color. West Savannah and Garden City sit immediately adjacent to terminal operations, rail yards, and the truck corridors that connect the port to I-16 and I-95.

Community Population Key Health Burden
Garden City 10,000+ Immediately adjacent to Garden City Terminal; truck and rail corridor exposure
West Savannah 8,000+ Low-income; proximity to port and industrial operations along the Savannah River
Port Wentworth 10,000+ Adjacent to terminal expansion areas; growing truck traffic
Thunderbolt / Isle of Hope 5,000+ Downwind of port operations along Wilmington River
Chatham County (broader) 295,000 County-wide exposure to port-related truck and vessel emissions

Community Health Profile

CDC PLACES data for Chatham County (70+ census tracts) provides tract-level health estimates for communities surrounding the Port of Savannah. Garden City and West Savannah tracts show health indicators that exceed county and state averages:

Health Measure Port-Adjacent Tracts Chatham County Georgia
Current asthma among adults 11.2% 10.0% 9.8%
COPD among adults 8.0% 7.2% 7.0%
Coronary heart disease 7.5% 6.8% 6.5%
Depression among adults 22.0% 20.5% 20.0%
Obesity among adults 38.5% 35.0% 34.2%
Fair or poor self-rated health 21.5% 18.8% 18.5%
High blood pressure 39.0% 35.5% 34.8%

As the port expands toward 12.5 million TEUs by 2035, these baseline health indicators will worsen without at-berth emissions controls. Garden City and West Savannah residents face a rapidly accelerating emissions burden — yet Georgia has no mandatory emissions reporting for port operations and no plans for a comprehensive port-wide emissions inventory.5

Data Source

CDC PLACES provides modeled estimates for 40 health measures at census tract level. Chatham County data covers 70+ tracts. Unlike California ports with AB 617 community monitoring, Savannah lacks hyperlocal air quality data — making CDC PLACES the primary available health indicator dataset for port-adjacent communities.

Environmental Justice

Garden City and West Savannah are majority-minority communities with elevated environmental justice indicators. Unlike established port EJ communities in California, New York, or Houston, Savannah's port-adjacent neighborhoods are relatively new to the environmental justice conversation — yet they face a rapidly accelerating emissions burden as the port grows toward 12.5 million TEUs. Georgia has no state environmental justice legislation, no mandatory emissions reporting for port operations, and no plans to conduct a comprehensive port-wide emissions inventory.2

The EPA Toxics Release Inventory identifies over 30 TRI-reporting facilities in Chatham County, including industrial operations along the Savannah River. As the port's $4 billion expansion advances, the cumulative industrial burden in Garden City and West Savannah will intensify — compounding vessel emissions with increased truck traffic, rail movements, and construction-phase emissions.6

The Data Gap

Unlike California ports with published annual emissions inventories or Houston with its 2019 Goods Movement Emissions Inventory, the Port of Savannah operates with no comprehensive port-wide emissions inventory and no mandatory emissions reporting requirements. The Georgia Ports Authority has stated publicly that there are no plans to conduct a new emissions inventory or set concrete emissions reduction targets because they are not required to.

Data Availability Port of Savannah LA/Long Beach (CARB) Houston
Published emissions inventory No Yes (annual) Yes (2019)
Mandatory emissions reporting No Yes (CARB) No
State EJ legislation No Yes (AB 617) No
Community monitoring program No Yes (WOEIP, AB 617) Partial (Air Alliance Houston)
Port-wide health impact assessment No Yes (multiple) Partial

This data gap is itself a finding. As the port expands toward 12.5 million TEUs by 2035 — nearly doubling current capacity — the absence of baseline emissions data means the health impact of that growth cannot be measured, tracked, or mitigated.4

Health Impact Analysis

Using the ICCT's Port Emissions Screening data, EPA emission factors for container vessel at-berth operations, and the EPA's concentration-response methodology, we model the health outcomes attributable to at-berth vessel emissions and the benefits of their reduction.

The scenario below models outcomes using the performance of currently deployed, CARB-certified barge-mounted capture systems (99% PM2.5, 95% NOx removal — independently verified by Yorke Engineering LLC).

Health Outcome Current Annual Burden With At-Berth Capture
PM2.5 emissions at port (tonnes/yr) ~150 t 69–99% reduction
NOx emissions at port (tonnes/yr) ~400 t Up to 95% reduction
Premature deaths from port PM2.5 Estimated 5–14/year 4–13 lives saved/year
Cardiovascular & respiratory hospitalizations Estimated 20–55/year 14–53 avoided/year
Childhood asthma ED visits Estimated 30–80/year 21–77 avoided/year
Monetized public health benefit (EPA VSL) $30M+/year $20–$35M saved/year

Methodology Note

Premature death estimates use EPA's concentration-response function for PM2.5 (Krewski et al. 2009, ACS CPS-II) and EPA Value of Statistical Life ($11.8M, 2024-adjusted). Emissions estimated from vessel call frequency (35/week), vessel type distribution, and EPA emission factors for at-berth auxiliary engine operations. The Georgia Ports Authority has not published a comprehensive emissions inventory, so estimates rely on proportional scaling from ports with published inventories and comparable vessel traffic. Ranges reflect this additional uncertainty. All estimates are conservative — they exclude SOx and secondary PM2.5 formation, which would increase totals.

Wind Patterns & Community Exposure

NOAA climatological data from Savannah Hilton Head International Airport shows variable wind patterns with a southwesterly and westerly preference (approximately 31% of days), with an average wind speed of 7.5 mph. Under prevailing southwest and westerly winds, emissions from Garden City Terminal move toward Garden City and Port Wentworth to the northeast and east — the communities most directly impacted by port expansion. The variable wind pattern means emissions spread across a wider area, affecting more neighborhoods at lower per-direction frequency but increasing the total population exposed over time.

The Expansion Problem

Savannah presents a scenario that no other port in this assessment portfolio faces: the health burden is growing as fast as the port itself.

The Georgia Ports Authority's $4 billion expansion plan will nearly double the port's container capacity by 2035. If vessel calls increase proportionally — from the current 35 per week toward 60 or more — at-berth emissions could nearly double absent regulatory intervention. The Mason Mega Rail Terminal, which achieved record volumes of 540,850 containers by rail in 2024, reduces truck emissions but does not affect at-berth vessel emissions.

The expansion also means construction-phase emissions, increased drayage truck traffic on local roads, and additional rail movements through residential neighborhoods. Garden City and Port Wentworth are directly in the path of this growth.

The Georgia Ports Authority has made significant investments in operational efficiency — electrifying rubber-tired gantry cranes (reducing diesel use by 95%), replacing drayage trucks through EPA DERA funding, and reducing an estimated 6.8 million gallons of diesel fuel annually. But these investments address landside equipment, not at-berth vessel emissions. Without vessel emissions controls, Savannah's growth trajectory means the health burden will increase even as equipment gets cleaner.3

The Regulatory Gap

California's CARB At-Berth Regulation has been in effect since 2014 and was strengthened in 2020. In October 2023, the EPA authorized California's regulation under the Clean Air Act, which legally enables other states to adopt the identical standard. Georgia has not adopted at-berth vessel controls, has no equivalent rulemaking underway, and has not conducted a comprehensive port-wide emissions inventory.

The Georgia Ports Authority participates in voluntary environmental programs and has achieved meaningful reductions in landside equipment emissions. However, voluntary measures have not produced mandatory at-berth emissions controls — and the port has stated publicly that there are no plans to conduct a new emissions inventory or set concrete emissions reduction targets because they are not required to.

Pathways to Action

Several pathways exist for reducing at-berth emissions at the Port of Savannah:

  • State adoption of CARB-equivalent regulation: Georgia could adopt California's at-berth standard under the EPA authorization
  • Georgia Ports Authority voluntary commitment: GPA could require at-berth controls as a condition of terminal leases or as part of its expansion permitting
  • Expansion-linked requirements: The $4 billion expansion could include at-berth emissions controls as a condition of environmental review or community benefit agreements
  • Carbon credit incentives: Voluntary carbon market frameworks currently under development could provide revenue to fund capture deployment
  • Federal EPA Clean Ports funding: The $3 billion Clean Ports Program (IRA Section 60102) — disbursement status under current administration requires FOIA verification

What Comes Next

This assessment is a screening-level analysis using publicly available data and proportional scaling. A full site-specific assessment for the Port of Savannah — with dispersion modeling, localized health data, and census-tract-level environmental justice analysis — is available through our research services. Such an assessment would be particularly timely as the port's expansion advances through environmental review.

Port Health Watch is also developing:

  • Air Quality Health Units (AQHUs): The first tradable health benefit asset class for port pollution reduction, under development for submission to Verra's SD VISta program. Learn more →
  • Carbon credit methodology: A Verra VCS methodology for at-berth maritime carbon capture, targeting July 2026 submission. Learn more →

The Opportunity

The Port of Savannah is growing toward 12.5 million TEUs by 2035 — nearly doubling its current capacity. At-berth emissions capture deployed today could save 4–13 lives per year, prevent dozens of hospitalizations, and deliver $20–$35 million annually in monetizable health benefits. As the fastest-growing major port in the country with no emissions controls, Savannah represents both the greatest near-term risk and the greatest near-term opportunity for health impact intervention outside California.

Interactive Dashboard

NOAA wind patterns and GPA expansion projections. Additional CDC PLACES health indicators, sustainability investments, and at-berth emissions visualizations are part of the full assessment.

Wind Rose — NOAA 2024

Prevailing wind directions from Savannah Hilton Head International Airport (Station USW00003822). Southwesterly and westerly winds (31% of days) carry port emissions toward Garden City and Port Wentworth to the northeast and east. Average daily wind speed: 7.5 mph.

Direction Frequency Downwind Communities
SW 16% Garden City, Port Wentworth
W 15% Garden City, northeast residential
NW 14% East Savannah, Islands
NE 13% West Savannah, industrial corridor
S 12% Port Wentworth, north Chatham
SE 10% Downtown Savannah
E 10% West Savannah, Garden City
N 10% Thunderbolt, Isle of Hope

Source: NOAA NCEI Climate Data Online. Station USW00003822, daily summaries 2024.

Expansion Projection — TEU Growth to 2035

The Georgia Ports Authority's $4 billion expansion will nearly double container capacity by 2035. Without at-berth emissions controls, emissions will scale proportionally with vessel traffic.

Year TEU Volume Status
2024 5.6M TEUs Actual (GPA reported, +12.5% YoY)
2030 ~9.0M TEUs (est.) Savannah Container Terminal opens (3 berths, 3.5M TEU capacity)
2035 12.5M TEUs GPA target — full build-out

Full Dashboard Available

For the complete dashboard suite — CDC PLACES health comparisons, monetized health impact, industrial facility burden — see our demonstration assessments at Duluth-Superior and New York/New Jersey, or contact us for a site-specific dashboard.

  1. Georgia Ports Authority, "By the Numbers" and press releases (2024); ICCT, "Nationwide port emissions screening for berthed vessels" (September 2024). ↩

  2. Inside Climate News, "Efforts to Cut Georgia Ports' Emissions Lack Concrete Goals" (February 2020); EPA EJScreen; U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates. ↩

  3. EPA, "Georgia Ports Authority Reduces Diesel Emissions, Improves Efficiency, and Saves Costs"; Georgia Ports Authority sustainability reporting. ↩

  4. Inside Climate News, "Efforts to Cut Georgia Ports' Emissions Lack Concrete Goals" (February 2020); Georgia Ports Authority sustainability reporting. ↩

  5. CDC PLACES, census tract–level health estimates, Chatham County GA (2024 release). Port-adjacent averages from tracts within Garden City and West Savannah. ↩

  6. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, Envirofacts database, Chatham County GA facilities; Inside Climate News, "Efforts to Cut Georgia Ports' Emissions" (2020). ↩