Lineage adds to Charleston’s cold storage capacity

Lineage Logistics is the latest third-party logistics provider to add refrigerated warehouse space in the city, helping the Port of Charleston attract perishable shippers.    Meat producers and other shippers of perishable goods have a new resource at the Port of Charleston for handling imports and exports.
   Lineage Logistics, a large provider of temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution services backed by private equity firm Bay Grove, said it has opened a new 180,000-square foot cold storage facility in North Charleston.
   The distribution center has a rail spur that connects to the Norfolk Southern mainline and is close to I-26, the primary east-west artery to the port. It has 30 truck doors and four rail doors.
   Lineage is one of three private companies that have recently invested in the Charleston area, significantly adding to the Port of Charleston’s ability to process refrigerated cargoes. The South Carolina Ports Authority has made a concerted effort to encourage third-party logistics providers to establish nearby cold storage facilities so it can take advantage of the growing export market for perishable food products in the Southeast and increase refrigerated business, which is more lucrative than for dry containers.
   In two years, cold storage capacity in the Charleston area has skyrocketed from 50,000 square feet to 600,000 square feet. In the past four years, the port’s refrigerated cargo volume has increased 38 percent to 51,000 physical containers.
   Meanwhile, the SCPA is also investing in infrastructure at its Wando Welch container terminal to power refrigeration units on containers while in the yard.
   The new Lineage facility offers high-capacity blast freezing for poultry and other meat products. It will provide transloading, freight consolidation, drayage, import/export services, and custom labeling and stamping.
   Read more about the growth of refrigerated import/export capacity and other ways the Port of Charleston is planning to accommodate freight demand in the upcoming May issue of American Shipper.