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S.C. Ports continues to set records as global trade rebounds

Staff Report //December 10, 2020//

S.C. Ports continues to set records as global trade rebounds

Staff Report //December 10, 2020//

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The S.C. Ports Authority reached a record November as global trade rebounds.

Last month, SCPA saw a 12% increase year-over-year in TEUs — an industry measurement of the equivalent of a 20-foot container. In total, the port handled 207,066 TEUs at Wando Welch and North Charleston year-over-year, bringing the total to more than 1 million TEUs for fiscal year 2021, which began July 1.

“SC Ports had a truly remarkable month with a record November for containers handled, as well as impressive results in our vehicles and inland ports segments,” SC Ports President and CEO Jim Newsome said.

S.C. Ports Authority has handled more than 1 million TEUs since July.  (Photo/Provided)Pier containers, which account for cargo boxes of any size, increased 10% from the same time last year with 114,899 containers, while vehicles handled at Columbus Street Terminal were up 4.5% compared to November 2019. There were 20,838 vehicles handled for the month with 114,519 total fiscal-year-to date, a 15% bump from this time last year.

Additionally, as consumer demands grow for global retailers, SCPA’s loaded imports increased in November by nearly 13%. The recent groundbreaking of the Walmart distribution center in Ridgeville will on further SCPA’s position by boosting port volumes by 5% once fully operational, Newsome said.

“SC Ports is well-positioned to handle increasing cargo volumes brought on by both the ongoing recovery and the booming Southeast market,” Newsome said. “Our strategic infrastructure investments are coming online at the right time.”

For inland ports, November handled a combined total of 14,324 rail moves. Inland Port Greer’s 11,247 was up 20% year-over-year, while Inland Port Dillon had a record month with 3,077 rail moves and an overall 28% increase from November 2019.

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