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Charleston quarterly container volume increases 1.73pc to 169,477 TEU

SOUTH Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) has reported a 1.73 per cent increase in container throughput since its fiscal year began in July.

SCPA, whose principal harbour is the Port of Charleston, handled 169,477 TEU in October, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.8 per cent.

Fiscal year to date, SCPA's container volume reached 689,753 TEU, up 1.73 per cent year on year.

As measured in actual containers across SCPA's docks, fiscal year-to-date volume is up 6,227 containers. SCPA handled 95,608 pier containers in October, or 388,883 boxes since the fiscal year began.

"Our incremental container volume increase in October is reflective of a worldwide slowing of the container trade, but we are optimistic that growth will resume in both imports and exports as the southeast economy grows," said SCPA president and CEO Jim Newsome.

"We also expect major emerging market economies to restore growth in demand based upon strength of a growing middle class," he said.

In non-container cargo volume, Charleston handled 76,029 tonnes in October. Charleston breakbulk volume is 10.2 per cent ahead of fiscal year-to-date plans, with 293,780 tonnes handled since July.

Inland Port Greer handled 9,211 rail moves last month. The facility's rail volume is up 25.5 per cent since the fiscal year began, with 35,427 rail moves handled between July and October.

"Amid the shifting structure of the container industry, including consolidations of major carriers and an extremely difficult financial picture, SCPA is well-prepared to meet the demands that will be required of top 10 US ports going forward.

"Bigger ships will be deployed across fewer services, and our port is making the necessary investments in cranes, terminal infrastructure and capacity, and harbour deepening to meet these requirements," Mr Newsome said.

SCPA also celebrated its two new super postpanamax cranes with a lighting show and fireworks display on the dock of the Wando Welch Terminal.

The cranes, which offer 155 feet of lift height above the dock, were produced by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry and delivered to SCPA in August.

SCPA has ordered two additional ZPMC cranes of this size for delivery by the end of 2017 and plans to raise four of its existing cranes to the same height.

"We are planning for two shipping services with 14,000-TEU vessels to call Charleston by mid-2017, which will be a game-changer for the east coast ports," Mr Newsome said.

"By the end of next year, SCPA's US$44 million wharf strengthening project to handle larger ships will be complete, and we will have eight cranes with 155 feet of lift height capable of handling two 14,000-TEU ships simultaneously."