The South Carolina Port Authority said “impressive volumes” helped to end 2020 with its strongest December on record.
South Carolina’s ports handled 209,606 units equivalent to twenty feet (TEUs) at the Wando Welch and North Charleston container terminals in December, an 11.6% year-over-year increase.
Loaded imports increased by 14.4% over the previous year and loaded exports increased by 8.6%, “highlighting a strong balance for sea carriers and a thriving southeastern market,” said SCPA in Monday’s announcement.
South Carolina’s ports continued on a surge in volume after the best November figure of 207,066 TEUs handled.
SCPA said vehicle volumes were “exceptionally strong” in December, an increase of 29.2% year on year, to a monthly record of 21,228 vehicles handled. In fiscal year 2021, from July 1 to December 31, South Carolina Ports handled 135,747 vehicles at the Columbus Street Terminal docks, an increase of 17.42% over the same period last year.
Inland Port Greer, located in the state of South Carolina along Interstate 85, recorded 13,523 rail movements in December, an increase of 26% year on year, while Inland Port Dillon, located in the state’s Pee Dee region along of Interstate 95, there were 2,940 railroad movements, down 2.9%.
“The pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for supply chains around the world,” South Carolina President and CEO Jim Newsome said in a statement on Monday. “I am immensely proud of our port employees and all those who work in the maritime and logistics community for showing up every day during a pandemic to keep supply chains flowing. Their dedication ensures that food products, medical supplies, manufacturing parts and retail products are delivered efficiently. We are grateful to them and look forward to a brighter 2021 ”.
The brightest 2021 will include the opening in March of the first $ 1 billion phase of the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, which will include a 1,400-foot pier, five 169-foot-tall ship-to-shore cranes above the pier deck, 25 hybrid gantry cranes with rubber tires and a 47-acre container yard.
The 52-foot deepening of Charleston Harbor is also expected to be completed this year. Modernization efforts that will become a reality at the Wando Welch Terminal in 2021 include the installation of 15 shore-crane cranes 155 feet high above the pier deck.
SCPA said that the investments will allow it to handle four 14,000 TEU vessels simultaneously, as well as a 19,000 TEU container ship, “ensuring that the port remains globally competitive for the next few decades”.
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Click for more American Shipper / FreightWaves stories by senior editor Kim Link-Wills.