Charleston to see its first cruise passengers in a year – but not a full boat | The business

The first cruise ship since a pandemic a year ago is due to arrive in Charleston next weekend.

But Carnivalthe name of will not be on it. And it won’t be even close to the size of sunshine.

American Cruise Lines resumed navigation at the weekend after a yearlong voluntary stoppage. Its 51-cabin, 100-passenger Independence niche left on March 13 in a “South Historic & Golden Isles”Coastal itinerary from Amelia Island, near Jacksonville, Florida, with Charleston as the final port stopover on or around March 20. Other stops along the way include Jekyll Island, Savannah, Hilton Head and Beaufort.

It is reportedly the first cruise to cross the waters of the United States since the pandemic left the industry aside about a year ago.

“With our new protocols in place, we remain dedicated to the safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit,” said a company representative. Travelplulse.com. “We look forward to exploring this beautiful country again on board our modern small river boats for 100-190 passengers and small coastal vessels.”

American Cruise, based in Guilford, Connecticut, could operate during the pandemic because its ships carry less than 250 passengers, so it was not bound by the boarding ban issued last year by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Travel to the Historic South is limited to 75 percent of capacity and all passengers and crew members were required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result within four days of departure. Masks are also mandatory on the ship, along with other safety precautions.

THE State Port AuthorityThe online docking schedule shows that the 220-foot Independence is scheduled to dock at the Columbus Street Terminal.

The last cruise ship to visit the city with passengers on board was the Carnival Sunshine, which is ported at home on Union Pier. He returned from the Bahamas on March 13, 2020 and was immediately removed by the pandemic. Sunshine is not expected to sail again until June, at the very least.

Plastics proxy

The legal dispute over the high-profile “nurdle” spill Charleston Harbor is close to being resolved, but the case remains alive in the corporate governance records of one of the largest chemical manufacturers in the country.

Two shareholders of DuPont are calling on the board of the Delaware-based company to issue an annual report starting this year to “disclose trends in the amount of plastic in various forms released to the environment by the company annually and concisely assess the effectiveness of the company’s policies and actions to reduce the volume of plastic materials of the company that contaminate the environment ”.

Utah residents John and Linda Mason, which has 169 shares, are promoting the proposal. It is included in the power of attorney statement that DuPont submitted prior to its April 28 annual meeting. The company is recommending that investors vote against him.

Freemasons said that many plastic products are made of tiny balls known as nurdles. The couple also argued that their idea is important for the board to consider why the accidental release of rice-sized bills into the environment “creates financial risk”. They cited three examples, including the 2019 local spill.

“Frontier Logistics currently facing federal prosecution for violating the Clean Water Law and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act through the discharge of plastic pellets at Charleston Harbor and other connected waters, ”they wrote.

The accuracy of that statement is now evolving. Earlier this month, Frontier agreed to pay $ 1 million without pleading guilty to resolving the complaint, almost two years after groups of nurdles began to appear on local beaches.

The Texas-based plastics exporter will also pay legal fees of $ 225,000 to cover legal Charleston Waterkeeper and the Coastal Conservation League, the two groups that filed the lawsuit.

The deal has yet to be approved by the judge.

According to the complaint, Frontier’s former export operation along the port of Union Pier The port terminal in downtown Charleston was the likely source of the spill. The company argued that the recovered nurdles could not be traced to that location.

The dispute also cost the State Port Authority a piece of change. The maritime agency, which owns Union Pier, disbursed about $ 50,000 to help pay for nurdle cleaning on Sullivan’s Island.

Upload

During the pandemic, Southern Carolinians have been visiting state parks to recharge their batteries more than ever.

Now, in three of the locations, they can do this in a more literal way.

Electric vehicle charging stations were unveiled last week in Sesquicentennial, Paris Mountain and Santee state parks, which were selected because they are close to interstates or city centers. They are free to use.

THE Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism of SC and the state Regulatory Team Officein Energy Office partnered to install the devices. Financing was provided by US Department of Energyin State Energy Program.

Together, the three stations could be used by 1.23 million visitors a year. The state will count how many drivers plug their cars into them to report “broader efforts to track the use of electric vehicles,” according to SCPRT.

State Director of Tourism Duane Parrish He said the stations promote the park system’s goals of “being good stewards of South Carolina’s natural resources and providing a positive consumer experience.”

Despite being closed for a month during COVID-19 blockades, South Carolina’s state parks increased their revenue by 13% last year as those seeking recreation sought out socially distant and safe haven options.

This trend seems to continue. In January, the state system of 47 parks reported an increase of almost 39% in monthly revenue compared to the previous year.

Econ 101

Dark science fans can be satisfied in the coming days, courtesy of College of Charleston.

The schools Center for Public Choice and Market Process is becoming totally remote with its 13th annual version of “Adam Smith Week. ”The five-day annual economic extravaganza runs until March 19 and aims to expand its reach in 2021.

“This year, we are taking the opportunity to be entrepreneurs, collaborating with eight other institutions across the country and presenting everything virtually,” he said. Peter Calcagno, director of the center and professor of economics at the college.

This week’s lecture series features nearly a dozen academics, academics and professionals talking about economics, education, politics, entrepreneurship, land rights, health and, of course, COVID-19. His presentations include “Is Capitalism Sustainable? The Platform Economy: Problems for Policy ”by Michael Munger, director of undergraduate studies in Duke University, and “Culture, Capitalism and Gender Equality” by Claudia Williamson, economics professor at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Virtual sessions are free and open to the public, but registration is required.

The Center for Public Choice and Market Process celebrates Smith every March “to create awareness and explore important topics in political economy, entrepreneurship and the role of government”.

The 1776 classic of the Scottish Enlightenment thinker, “An investigation into the nature and causes of nations’ wealth, ”Written in 1776, it is considered a seminal work in the field of economics. In it, Smith wrote the famous phrase that a metaphorical “invisible hand” guides the free market system in a way that the self-interest of individuals often promotes the broader interests of society.

Status check

Scammers seeking to relieve South Carolina companies of their hard-earned money are using an old-school tactic.

THE SC State Secretary issued an alert last week about a snail mail campaign by a company that offered to sell “status certificates” to companies across the state after receiving several complaints about the false documentation.

The letters were from an obscure sounding group called SC Certificate Service. They falsely claim that the “South Carolina Status Certificate” they are selling is issued by the Secretary of State’s office “and may be required for loans, renewal of business licenses or for tax or other business purposes”.

They offer to provide the certificate for $ 87.25.

State Secretary Mark Hammond called a coup.

“Businesses should know that this is not an official certificate issued by the state of South Carolina, and that this so-called status certificate is not required to conduct business in this state,” he said in a prepared statement.

Hammond added that his office can provide companies with an official “Certificate of Existence” upon request, for a fee of $ 10.

His office said it issued a letter to cease and desist from senders and referred the matter to law enforcement officials. Naturally, the SC certificate service is not registered with the Hammond branch. He lists one UPS mailbox in Columbia as your address in your requests.

Magnifying

Coronavirus vaccines are being distributed and administered, but it is not yet business as usual and probably will not be for a while this year.

To that end, the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is launching a new virtual service for its 350 members. Others can also participate.

From 9 am on April 15, the pro-business group will start “Coffee Chats”, a 30-minute online presentation focused on a specific topic. The first will have Todd G. Buddin, CEO of Holly Hill, headquartered First National Bank of South Carolina who will discuss: “Conversations to ensure a successful post-pandemic banking relationship”, including loans from the federal government Paycheck protection program.

The Berkeley House expects virtual sessions to be held once a month and is likely to continue after the pandemic, CEO Elaine Morgan said.