Trump’s next trade deadline looms. Georgia’s ports aren’t nervous.

SAVANNAH ― To Georgia’s ports leaders, President Donald Trump’s original “Liberation Day” tariff list read like a nightmare who’s who list of the state’s biggest trading partners.

Top port client China topped the president’s colorful chart at 84%, a rate that escalated to 145%, while No. 2 customer Vietnam was to face a 46% levy.

Tariff threats on the trading partners rounding out the top five ― India, South Korea and Thailand ― all topped 20%, as did other frequent ports users, such as European Union countries, Japan and Indonesia.

Nearly four months and several trade deals later, Trump has revised his chart ahead of a Friday deadline. But the Aug. 1 version isn’t nearly as scary to ports authority officials ― and recent pacts give them confidence that more agreements will be struck.

Credit: Courtesy photo

Container vessels line the docks of the Georgia Ports Authority's Garden City Terminal. (Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority)

U.S. trade negotiators have reached tariff deals with China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the UK, Japan and the EU. Although the double-digit tariffs are the highest in a century, they are lower than Trump had threatened.

More agreements and deadline extensions are expected this week ahead of the Trump administration threatening to impose tariffs as high as 50% on countries that haven’t inked pacts.

“Each time a deal falls in place, it really opens the door for more to come along,” said Alec Poitevint, chairperson of the Georgia Ports Authority board of directors. “There’s this sense like, OK, we’ve got to get this done.”

The trade turmoil has been a tempest for the Georgia Ports Authority’s cargo container business.

Tariff fears led to three of the busiest months in the ports’ history in March, April and May as importers stocked up on inventory and exporters expedited shipping goods out.

Then June was the slowest month in two years, as what is known as a “freight air pocket” dragged on ship traffic. A freight air pocket happens when a trade disruption leads to a period of canceled ship sailings. Traffic last month was off nearly 10% compared with June 2024.

Despite the upheaval, the Georgia Ports Authority completed its second-best fiscal year on record on June 30. Traffic rose 8.6% over the last 12 months as the Savannah terminals easily outperformed the other three major Southeast U.S. ports. Jacksonville, Florida, saw 4.3% growth and Charleston, South Carolina, 3% growth, while Norfolk, Virginia’s business was down 3.6%.

“This team is focused on winning freight in a challenging environment,” Georgia Ports Authority CEO Griff Lynch said. “There’s no question Georgia Ports’ results stand out across the nation.”

Credit: Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority

Georgia Ports Authority CEO Griff Lynch updates Brunswick business leaders on the success of the Colonel's Island terminal during the annual Brunswick State of the Port luncheon at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. (Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority)

The pace of vessel calls has increased in recent weeks following the freight air pocket drop. Lynch is hesitant to offer a short-term outlook, even with holiday-season shipping about to ramp up, as U.S. trade negotiators bargain with India and South Korea. He said India “will be big,” as the country is the ports authority’s fastest-growing partner.

Also of interest to ports officials are talks with China — the current temporary deal with China expires on Aug. 12. Lynch and Poitevint anticipate that agreement will be extended if a new deal can’t be struck. Trade representatives from the U.S. and China met this week in Sweden, with China’s top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, saying he’d agreed to endorse an extension of the current 30% rate.