SCPA posts higher December volumes

The South Carolina Ports Authority said container volumes, breakbulk tonnage, and vehicle shipments all increased in December from a year prior.    The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) handled 164,480 TEUs in December 2016, 13.7 percent more than in December 2015, according to data from the port authority.
   In terms of loaded containers, SCPA’s terminals handled 133,431 TEUs in December 2016, an 11.1 percent year-over-year increase.
   For the full year in 2016, SCPA handled 1.996 million TEUs, ticking up 1.2 percent from 2015. Excluding empties, SCPA handled 1.632 million TEUs during the year, rising 4 percent from 2015.
  “The port is experiencing an all-time high container volume,” SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome said. “Looking ahead to the second half of our 2017 fiscal year (which ends June 30), we remain cautiously optimistic as we continue to prepare for the deployment of 14,000-TEU ships and improve our existing infrastructure. We are also excited about the development plans for the new Inland Port Dillon and the efficiency and flexibility benefits the project will bring to shippers in that area.”
   Breakbulk cargo at the Port of Charleston reached 61,377 pier tons in December 2016, up 19.3 percent from a year prior, and 868,558 pier tons in 2016, down 6.1 percent from 2015.
   Meanwhile,18,485 vehicles were handled in December, up 14 percent year-over-year, and 265,017 were handled thoughout the year, down 1.5 percent from 2015.