[Report] "7,000 vehicles line up, waiting for America" ... Visiting GM's 'export gateway,' Masan Gapo New Port

\r[Financial News, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province = Kim Dong-chan]White, silver and black. The vehicles filling the yard came in different colors, but they were all the same model: the Chevrolet Trax crossover. On the 29th, about 7,000 Trax vehicles were waiting at the Masan Gapo New Port storage yard in Masanhappo-gu, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, for a ship to take them to the United States. The endless rows of cars were a vivid display of the production power of the Changwon plant.
That day, General Motors Korea held a media tour at the site. Following a briefing and plant tour at the Changwon plant the previous day, the company opened the final logistics gateway — the port — to the media. Masan Gapo New Port is the last stop for vehicles produced by General Motors Korea before they are shipped around the world.
\r\n\r\nGapo New Port has been a partner of General Motors Korea for 10 years. When it opened in 2015 as a new container terminal pier, GM cargo volumes were still modest. In 2022, GM's export and transshipment volume was just 32,000 vehicles.
The turning point came in 2023. With full-scale mass production of the Chevrolet Trax crossover, cargo volume surged to 168,000 vehicles. It climbed further to 201,000 in 2024 and 256,000 in 2025. This year, the port is aiming to ship a record 300,000 vehicles.
Jo Heung-je, head of the Masan Gapo New Port Operations Headquarters, said, "Over the past 10 years, we have built a relationship that goes beyond a simple business partnership and has become a key partnership that supports each other's growth." He added, "General Motors Korea's strategic allocation of cargo laid the foundation for this port to establish itself early and continue sustainable growth."
Operations at Gapo New Port are handled by Masan New Port Operations and Hyundai Glovis, which is responsible for global transport. About 600 people, including 300 union workers and 100 employees, receive an average of 30 ships a month.
Walking past the end of the storage yard toward the pier, the sea came into view. At the dock, Hyundai Glovis's car carrier, the Glovis Captain, was preparing to berth. The vessel can carry 4,500 to 4,700 passenger cars at a time.
\r\n\r\nWonho Son, head of the North America team in Hyundai Glovis's vehicle shipping division, explained, "What is being loaded today is a single model, the Trax, and it is headed to major North American ports, including Benicia in the United States." He added, "It takes 15 days to reach the U.S. West Coast and 30 days to reach the East Coast." The shipment scheduled for that day totaled 350 vehicles, and the work would be finished in just two hours based on a weekly schedule. Because the ship had been delayed the previous day, an additional 2,000 vehicles were also scheduled to be loaded the next day.
GM accounts for 55% of the roughly 480,000 vehicles in total export cargo handled by Gapo New Port. In particular, all passenger cars loaded at Masan Gapo New Port are GM vehicles. Excluding small volumes of other cargo such as maintenance parts, every passenger car leaving the port is a Chevrolet. In effect, it is a GM-exclusive export port.
Kim Hyun-wook, a senior manager on the logistics team at General Motors Korea, said, "Every time a Trax crossover is loaded, this is not just a simple vehicle-loading operation — it is connected to the global market." He added, "Because this is the place responsible for quality and safety right before customer delivery, the final stage of logistics, we work with the mindset that we will not let any unnecessary waiting pass even once."
eastcold@fnnews.com Kim Dong-chan Reporter