By Liz Crumley for The Island Eye News
South Carolina’s ports handled 207,066 20-foot container units at the Wando Welch and North Charleston container terminals in November, an increase of 12% year-over-year. SC Ports has processed more than 1 million TEUs so far in fiscal year 2021, which started on July 1.
SC Ports handled 114,899 containers on the pier – cargo boxes of any size – in November, an increase of 10% over the previous year. SC Ports has handled 558,380 pier containers so far this fiscal year.
“SC Ports had a truly remarkable month, with a record November for containers handled, as well as impressive results in our vehicle and port segments,” said SC Ports President and CEO Jim Newsome. “We recently also celebrated the opening of Walmart at its 3 million square foot import distribution center in Ridgeville, which will increase port volumes by 5% as soon as it is operational.”
Vehicles remain a strong segment for SC Ports, with 20,838 vehicles handled at the Columbus Street Terminal in November, an increase of 4.5% year on year. SC Ports handled 114,519 vehicles in fiscal year 2021, an increase of more than 15% over the same period last year.
The two internal ports served by SC Ports rails had a strong November, with a combined total of 14,324 rail movements. Inland Port Greer reported 11,247 rail movements in November, an increase of 20% year on year, and Inland Port Dillon had a record in November with 3,077 rail movements, almost 28% more than last November.
“SC Ports is well positioned to deal with the increased cargo volumes caused by the ongoing recovery and the expanding market in the Southeast,” said Newsome.
“Our investments in strategic infrastructure are coming online at the right time. We look forward to opening the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal in March. “
The $ 1 billion phase one of the Leatherman Terminal complements efforts to modernize the Wando Welch Terminal and deepen the port of Charleston to 52 feet. These investments will allow SC Ports to handle four 14,000 TEU vessels simultaneously in 2021, as well as one 19,000 TEU vessel.