South Carolina Ports provides reliable, fluid and efficient service to port-dependent businesses throughout the Southeast and beyond.

Thus far in fiscal year 2023, SC Ports has handled nearly 1.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and 867,256 pier containers, which account for containers of any size.

In January, SC Ports handled 215,238 TEUs and 118,179 pier containers. This is down roughly 5% from last year with loaded imports softening year-over-year.

Loaded exports were up nearly 11% in January. This is a positive trend for a strong exporting region with a booming automotive industry.

The S.C. Department of Commerce reported that 2022 export sales totaled $31.5 billion, up 6% from 2021. South Carolina remains the national leader in the export of completed passenger vehicles and tires.

Shippers benefit from SC Ports’ efficient operations and Charleston’s deep harbor, which is now the deepest on the U.S. East Coast at 52 feet. The deeper channel seamlessly handles ships fully laden with heavy exports and imports.

SC Ports also offers a 7-day export receiving window that locks in 11 days before a vessel’s arrival, providing much-needed stability and reliability for U.S. businesses, farmers and advanced manufacturers needing to send goods overseas.

“Whether a farmer needs to export soybeans to international customers, or an automaker needs to import a part for its just-in-time manufacturing operation, companies know that SC Ports has a track record of delivering excellent service and customized solutions,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said.

SC Ports also handled 13,361 vehicles for the automotive sector in January. Inland Ports Greer and Dillon reported a combined 16,222 rail moves last month, with Inland Port Dillon handling a January record 3,709 rail moves.

Expanding intermodal capabilities

South Carolina Ports is one step closer to having near-dock rail at the Port of Charleston, further enhancing intermodal capabilities and making South Carolina even more competitive.

Thanks to $400 million in state funding, a site in North Charleston is being transformed into a modern, rail-served cargo yard. The Navy Base Intermodal Facility is set to open in 2025.

Class I railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern will serve the facility, in partnership with Palmetto Railways. Inside the Navy Base Intermodal Facility, rail-mounted gantry cranes will lead containers on and off trains.

The facility will seamlessly move cargo between the port and inland markets, as well as support SC Ports’ rail-served Inland Ports in Greer and Dillon.

“The Navy Base Intermodal Facility will ensure SC Ports remains competitive by enhancing rail capabilities, cargo capacity and speed-to-market for customers,” Melvin said. “South Carolina remains a powerhouse in attracting investment. As companies expand their operations and invest in new facilities, SC Ports is investing in critical port infrastructure to support this growth.”

A new intermodal train service connecting DP World’s container terminals at London Gateway and Southampton will boost the resilience of the customers’ supply chains and enable them to switch volumes quickly and easily between the two UK locations.

The DP World operated service – which ran for the first-time last weekend – is scheduled every Saturday carrying cargo including fresh fruit, beverages and consumer goods in less than five hours. The train takes up to 120 lorries a week off the roads and cuts carbon emissions by up to 80%.

DP World plans to increase the frequency of the train next year. Alongside other recent and ongoing investments in rail connectivity at both ports, this will ease motorway congestion, with a total of 300,000 trucks taken off UK roads each year.

John Trenchard, UK Commercial & Supply Chain Director of DP World, said: “DP World is unique in offering customers a choice of deep-water entry and exit points to and from the UK. This new rail service will make it even easier for our customers to switch volumes quickly and easily between the two locations, which means greater flexibility and choice.”

“After the disruption of recent years, shipping lines and cargo owners are looking for capacity, reliability and growth opportunities. We are providing it, enabling customers to move goods smoothly and efficiently in and out of the UK and across their supply chains,” Trenchard added.

DP World – which operates ports, terminals and logistics businesses on six continents – runs the UK’s most advanced logistics hubs at London Gateway and Southampton: two deep water ports with access to freight rail terminals, and a rapidly expanding logistics park on the doorstep of the capital. Between them they moved a record volume of cargo in the first half of the year, with a combined total of 1.93m TEU.

Last month, DP World announced the start of construction at London Gateway’s new £350 million fourth berth, which will lift capacity by a third when it opens in 2024. The construction project is supporting 1,000 jobs and the port-centric logistics park will employ a further 12,000 people when it is completed in five years’ time.

The company has also earmarked a further £1 billion of investment in the UK over the next 10 years.

In line with its drive to enhance connectivity for customers, Pacific International Lines introduced the PIL Intermodal Services, which offers train, truck and barge services to complement its container shipping services. The PIL Intermodal Services are available across PIL’s existing network in Intra-Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Oceania.

The aim of the new intermodal services is to empower customers by providing them with more options of how they would like their cargoes to be transported. Customers can choose to save time and resources in managing their cargoes by entrusting PIL to provide transportation services from the points of origin to the final destinations, or they could opt to arrange their own last-mile transportation. PIL’s intermodal solutions are also highly customisable with dedicated train and barge services.

Mr Lars Kastrup, CEO, PIL, said, “We have seen growing market demand for intermodal services in recent years. With our strong network of global offices, agencies and partners, we are able to offer good point-to-point connectivity across sea and land for our customers. Our intermodal solutions will be well supported by our digital services including electronic Bill of Lading, and in the near future, GPS tracking. This solution is also aligned with our goal to reduce the overall carbon footprint of our operations and that of our customers.”

The PIL Intermodal Service is now available in Africa, Australia, Cambodia, Guatemala, India, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and China. PIL plans to roll out its intermodal service to other parts of the world in the near term.”