U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will open a new refrigerated inspection facility at the Port of Savannah on July 1, 2026. The 4,000-square-foot chilled cargo inspection site will allow authorities to inspect perishable imports without disrupting the cold chain. Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) said the facility will help speed up the handling of temperature-sensitive cargo while maintaining food safety standards. “Our on-terminal Customs station supports the expedited handling of perishable cargo,” said Griff Lynch, President and CEO of Georgia Ports Authority. “We know it’s important for shippers to get these commodities onto store shelves as quickly as possible while maintaining food safety.” The facility will perform inspections in a temperature-controlled environment. Specialized infrastructure will maintain temperature levels, cleanliness, ventilation and product freshness throughout the inspection process. The site also features 20 refrigerated power outlets for reefer containers positioned on chassis outside the building. The new facility will support federal inspections aimed at protecting U.S. agriculture from invasive pests and plant diseases. Produce importers will be able to complete inspections directly at the port, complementing the region’s extensive cold storage network. The Savannah area currently offers nearly 2.4 million square feet of refrigerated warehouse space. This includes 1.64 million square feet dedicated to frozen cargo and more than 752,000 square feet for chilled products. The new inspection facility supports one of the fastest-growing cargo segments at the Port of Savannah. Imports of chilled cargo increased 10.5% during the fiscal year to date, reaching 43,540 TEUs between July 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026. The refrigerated inspection area forms part of a US$49.25 million project that relocated Customs operations from a 130,000-square-foot facility to a new 300,000-square-foot building at Garden City Terminal. The expanded site will