The Port of Brunswick received thousands of extra cars and trucks that needed to be rerouted from Baltimore due to the bridge collapse that claimed hundreds of lives, making April the biggest month ever for automotive shipments, according to the Georgia Ports Authority. 80,000 cars and heavy industrial units were shipped over Brunswick's docks this month, making it the second busiest auto port in the United States. This represents a staggering 44% increase from April 2023. A total of 1,000 pieces of heavy machinery and 9,000 automotive imports were diverted from the Port of Baltimore, the country's busiest auto port, during the surge. Since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26, killing six people after a container ship collided with one of its columns; Baltimore has been off-limits to most ships. $262 million is being invested in changes and growth plans to increase Brunswick's turnover. Some of the projects include 80 acre of additional outdoor storage and 450,000 sq ft of new warehouse space. Griff Lynch, CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority, said the Brunswick port, located 112 km south of Savannah, had plenty of room to absorb the additional autos. Lynch stated that they've expanded so much in Brunswick, and he would say that it did not stretch them. He conveyed that they've got a tremendous amount of capacity down there. Lynch said he expects the 2024 fiscal year that ends June 30 to be even stronger, exceeding 800,000 auto and machinery units. He also stated that the Baltimore thing will now subside, referring to Georgia's auto import influx from the shutdown to the north. Lynch expressed that he would think that in the next couple of weeks, they'd be done with that. The Baltimore closure wasn't the only thing that caused more cars to move to Georgia. March, which had mostly gone before the bridge fall, was the second busiest month on record for cars and heavy machinery at the Brunswick port.

Since U.S. vehicle sales recorded their largest gain in a decade last year, auto shipments to Georgia have been soaring. As a result, in the calendar year 2023, the Port of Brunswick handled a record 775,000 vehicles and heavy machinery units.

By then, the effects of the closure in Baltimore ought to have subsided. Recently, tugboats refloated the damaged ship Dali and guided it back to port. The longest-surviving section of the fallen bridge was destroyed earlier this month during a controlled demolition. The port director of Baltimore claims that the shipping route will be cleared by June.