SCPA handles record container volumes in 2016

The South Carolina Ports Authority handled 1.996 million TEUs in 2016, beating its previous calendar year container throughput record set in 2005.    The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA), which owns and operates the ports of Charleston, Georgetown and Greer, handled 1.996 million TEUs for the calendar year in 2016, according to recent data from SCPA.
   The calendar year volumes represent a 1.2 percent increase from 2015 levels and a new record for SCPA. The previous SCPA calendar year throughput record was set in 2005 at 1.985 million TEUs.
   Volumes of laden containers grew 4 percent year-over-year in 2016, while empty container volumes dropped 10 percent from the previous year.
   In addition, SCPA’s inland port in Greer handled a record 103,639 rail lifts in 2016, an increase of 38 percent compared with 2015.
   “This is a significant accomplishment for the SCPA of which we are very proud,” SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome said of the figures. “We are cautiously optimistic about the future given the significant automotive projects that exist in the Southeast along with the seeming recovery of emerging market economies, which drives U.S. exports.
   “Our focus is squarely on realizing ongoing enhancements to handle the significant deployment of big container ships, specifically refurbishing our wharves, raising our cranes, deepening our harbor as soon as possible, and expanding our successful inland port network with a second inland port facility in Dillon, S.C.,” he added.
   President Barack Obama in December signed into law the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation (WIIN) Act, which included Congressional authorization for the 52-foot Charleston Harbor Deepening Project.
   Once the project is complete, SCPA says it will be able to accommodate fully-loaded new-Panamax containerships without tidal restrictions.