South Carolina box volumes float up in April

Loaded export container traffic drove the 3.8 percent year-over-year increase in overall container volumes.    South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) said it handled 196,439 TEUs in April, inching up 3.8 percent from 12 months prior.
   The 19.7 percent year-over-year boost in loaded exports in April to 80,125 TEUs was offset by a 5.6 percent drop in loaded imports to 78,275 TEUs.
   SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome said the growth in loaded export containers “reflects the fact that shippers are utilizing Charleston’s deepwater harbor as a last port of call for heavy export cargo.”
   SCPA also handled 38,039 TEUs of empty containers during the month, slipping 3.7 percent from last April.
   Operating revenues during the month reached $22.6 million, up 11.9 percent year-over-year, while operating expenses totaled $19.3 million, up 22.1 percent.
   During the month, SCPA opened Inland Port Dillon, its second inland facility. Inland Port Dillon uses an existing CSX intermodal train service to handle container movement to and from the Port of Charleston. SCPA’s first inland port, dubbed Inland Port Greer, opened in November 2013.
   Looking ahead, SCPA said it plans to issue about $300 million in new revenue bonds to fund several major capital projects, including Wando Welch Terminal upgrades; phase one of the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, which is expected to open in mid-2020 to handle containers; the port authority’s new headquarters; and other improvements to existing facilities.
   Overall, SCPA’s Port of Charleston is called by 31 liner services that also sail to regions outside North America — 26 that deploy fully cellular containerships and five that deploy either roll-on/roll-off vessels or pure car/truck carriers, according to BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool.