SC Ports continues to grow cargo volumes

South Carolina Ports Authority finished 2020 with its strongest December on record, noting impressive volumes with containers, vehicles and inland ports.

SC Ports handled 209,606 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) at Wando Welch and North Charleston container terminals in December, up 11.6% year-over-year.

Also, SC Ports has handled more than 1.2 million TEUs thus far in fiscal year 2021, which began July 1.

“The pandemic created unprecedented challenges to supply chains around the world,” SC Ports President and CEO, Jim Newsome, said.

“I am immensely proud of our port employees and all those working in the maritime and logistics community for showing up every day during a pandemic to keep supply chains fluid. Their dedication ensures that food products, medical supplies, manufacturing parts and retail goods are efficiently delivered. We are grateful to them, and we look forward to a brighter 2021.”

SC Ports continues to grow cargo volumes and complete infrastructure projects while maintaining efficient, reliable service.

The $1 billion Phase One of the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal is nearing completion ahead of its March opening.

The state-of-the-art terminal includes a 1,400-foot wharf, five ship-to-shore cranes with 169 feet of lift height above the wharf deck, 25 hybrid rubber-tired gantry cranes and a 47-acre container yard.

The Charleston Harbor Deepening Project is on track to achieve 52 feet in 2021, enabling bigger ships to call SC Ports any time, any tide.

Modernization efforts are ongoing at Wando Welch Terminal, which includes 15 ship-to-shore cranes with 155 feet of lift height above the wharf deck in 2021.

These investments will enable SC Ports to handle four 14,000-TEU vessels simultaneously, as well as a 19,000-TEU vessel, ensuring the port remains globally competitive for decades to come.