South Carolina Ports (SC Ports) closed fiscal year 2024 strong, with a 7 per cent increase in container volumes travelling through the Port of Charleston last month.
Last month, SC Ports effectively handled 218,115 TEU and 121,267 pier containers, making it the second biggest June on record.
Loaded imports rose 10 per cent, while loaded exports rose 5 per cent, indicating overall strength in the Southeast market.
SC Ports President and CEO, Barbara Melvin, said: “The Southeast market is booming, with a growing population driving imports and new manufacturing investments spurring exports. South Carolina Ports is well-positioned for this growth with a 52-foot-deep harbour, efficient terminals, new capacity on the horizon and an impressive inland port network.”
In fiscal year 2024, SC Ports and the larger marine community handled almost 2.5 million TEU and 1.4 million pier containers. This is a modest decrease over the prior fiscal year.
Wando Welch Terminal had a record-breaking year, with over 1.2 million containers transiting across the wharf, despite ongoing toe wall development.
Melvin added: “SC Ports works alongside our maritime partners to provide highly productive port service and fluidity in the Southeast supply chains.
“We remain focused on providing the operational excellence that our customers have come to expect from us, while proactively investing in port capacity to efficiently handle their growth.”
Both Inland Port Greer and Inland Port Dillon handled record cargo volumes in fiscal year 2024, with a combined 230,409 containers being moved on and off trains at the rail-served inland ports, up 24 per cent year-over-year (YoY).
Melvin noted: “Our rail-served inland ports have seen tremendous growth this past year as more customers move cargo by rail. We are expanding Inland Port Greer and building the rail-served Navy Base Intermodal Facility to provide more rail capacity in the Southeast port market and further support our customers’ supply chains.”
Inland Port Greer handled 187,638 containers in fiscal year 2024, a 28 per cent increase over the previous year. The Greer operation also set a record in June, handling 16,450 containers, up 11 per cent from the previous year.
Inland Port Dillon had strong cargo increase in fiscal year 2024, handling 9 per cent more with 42,771 containers carried. This is the first time Inland Port Dillon has handled over 40,000 rail transfers in a fiscal year.
In June, SC Ports signed an agreement with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) to jointly reopen Leatherman Terminal.
