Charleston posts double-digit box growth for 2014

Container and break-bulk volumes both grew last year at South Carolina ports.    2014 was a banner year for the South Carolina Ports Authority, with container volume at the Port of Charleston up 12 percent from the previous year to 1.8 million TEUs. The port closed the year out on a strong note, handling 141,956 TEUs in December, up 14 percent year-over-year.
   The number of boxes moved, regardless of size, equaled 1.02 million, an increase of 12 percent from 2013.
   Strong imports of parts and components for automotive manufacturing, export grains and refrigerated cargo helped drive the growth in container business, as did the addition of several new ocean services with post-Panamax vessels, the port authority said.
   New inland transportation efficiencies, port productivity, a growing manufacturing base in the Southeast, and a good balance between imports and exports have helped attract ocean carriers to Charleston. The port is poised to capture more cargo business when its harbor is deepened to handle mega-size ships. Last year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued tentative plans to dredge the main channel to 52 feet from its current 45-foot depth, and a stretch of the Cooper River to 48 feet. The project could be completed in 2019, if all goes well, officials say.
   At the halfway point of its fiscal year, the SCPA has handled 919,521 TEUs, a 13 percent increase over the same period last year.
   Non-containerized cargo also grew to 830,189 pier tons last year. Roll-on/roll-off cargo grew 15 percent, with nearly 41,000 additional BMW vehicles moving through the Port of Charleston. Fiscal-year-to-date breakbulk volume in Charleston is slightly over plan, with 402,020 tons handled since June. Tonnage at the Port of Georgetown has grown 26 percent over planned volumes. Georgetown has moved 328,136 pier tons since June.
   The inland port in Greer completed its first full calendar year of operations with 42,555 rail moves.
   Learn more about South Carolina’s efforts to diversify business and increase profits in the October magazine feature story, “S.C. Ports Authority aims high.”