Columbia Country, Georgia

Ports

Columbia County is conveniently located with a roughly 3-hour driving distance from two of the largest and most versatile shipping ports in the United States: the Port of Savannah (144 miles) and the Port of Charleston (186 miles). 

Click on map below to enlarge:

The Port of Savannah

The Port of Savannah is among the five largest container ports in the United States and the largest single terminal container facility on the East and Gulf coasts. Columbia County businesses that utilize the Port of Savannah are eligible for the State’s Job Tax Credit Port Bonus of $1,250 per job created (see Taxes & Incentives section of this website).  In addition, the Port of Savannah:

  • Serves as a major distribution hub to and from a 26-state region – that’s 75% of the U.S. population.
  • Operates the only on-terminal “intermodal container transfer facility” (ICTF) in the U.S. South Atlantic for expeditious, double-stack rail service.
  • Is the only U.S. Port to offer overnight rail service to Atlanta and 2 to 3-day rail service to key inland hubs, including Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, and more.
  • Is served by more than 100 trucking firms, and is within 3.75 hours of Atlanta, and within a day’s transit of other key U.S. markets.
  • Boasts the longest contiguous dock in any place from Maine to Texas – 7,726 feet.

The Port of Charleston

Recognized among the nation’s most efficient and proactive ports, the Port of Charleston is the busiest shipping facility along the Southeast and Gulf coasts.  The Charleston Customs District ranks as the nation’s 6th largest in dollar value of international shipments, with cargo valued at more than $46 billion annually.  In addition, the Port of Charleston:

  • Includes four large terminals: Union Pier, Columbus Street, Wando Welch, and North Charleston.
  • Has recently completed a $150 million harbor deepening project that took the inner harbor channels to -45 feet at mean low water.
  • Most frequently handles agricultural products, consumer goods, machinery, metals, vehicles, chemicals, and clay products.
  • Is one of only a handful of ports to have received the Presidential “E” and “E-Star” awards for excellence in exporting.
  • Is constructing new terminal facilities on Daniel Island.