SCPA opens reefer service area

The $14 million, six-acre service area is located at the Port of Charleston’s Wando Welch Terminal.    The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) has opened a $14 million new refrigerated container service area at the Port of Charleston.
   The six-acre service area is located at the Wando Welch Terminal and features a 12-lane service canopy, on-site storage and staging for gen-sets and container washing stations, SCPA said.
   In addition, the port has four new five-story refrigerated container racks that provide 120 more reefer slots at the terminal, increasing the total number of reefer plugs at the port to 1,700. Four additional racks are slated for completion in January 2018.
   “Complementing SCPA’s on-terminal investments are more than 660,000 square feet of cold storage and blast freezing capacity that have been built or committed by the private sector in response to SCPA’s cold cargo growth,” the port authority said.
   Since 2011, SCPA’s loaded refrigerated cargo volumes have growth 86 percent, which the port authority said is a result of its proximity to export pork and poultry producers, access to a deepwater harbor, and the growing regional demand for import reefer commodities.
   “Expansion of refrigerated cargo is a strong driver of SCPA’s overall volume growth, and our capital investment in refrigerated cargo infrastructure reflects a strategic commitment to our cold chain customers,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and chief executive officer. “We look forward to capably serving the continued growth of this business segment.”