Charleston Box Volume Up 19% in August
September 14, 2012
Port of Charleston Tops List of East and Gulf Ports in Magazine Survey
CHARLESTON, SC – September 14, 201 2- Container volume in the Port of Charleston saw another double-digit increase in August, with a 19.3 percent gain in box volume for the month compared to last year.
After posting a 16 percent jump year-over-year in July, the port handled 137,039 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, representing the strongest month for container volume since October 2008. This is also the seventh straight month of year-over-year growth in the Port of Charleston.
We continue to focus on growing our cargo base, as reflected in strong gains in loaded exports, while we also increase service coverage in our port, said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA). In addition to the two new services that commenced this summer, we will be welcoming the first call of the Oceania service next week.
The Bahia Grande, the first ship in Hamburg Süd and MSC’s Australia and New Zealand weekly service, is scheduled to call the Wando Welch Terminal on September 21.
On the non-container side, breakbulk tonnage also was a strong performer. Overall breakbulk volume for the SCPA was up 35.5 percent in August with 150,539 tons handled in the Port of Charleston and the Port of Georgetown.
Logistics Management Releases Quest for Quality Winners
The Port of Charleston is the top port in the South, according to readers of Logistics Management.
As part of its annual Quest for Quality Awards, the magazine surveyed its readers and received more than 4,000 responses ranking the top transportation providers across the supply chain, including ports, 3PLs, rail carriers, trucking companies and others.
In addition to being named the top Southern port, Charleston also got the highest marks of ports on the East and Gulf coasts, and the port received the highest score of qualifying ports nationwide in the value category.
For over 30 years, this report has been the most trusted measure of performance in the logistics and transportation industry, said Michael Levans, group editorial director at Peerless Media.
This year marked the return of a dedicated ports category as part of the awards program in more than a decade. The full rankings in the Quest for Quality Awards were published in Logistics Management’s August issue and are available online.
About the South Carolina Ports Authority
The South Carolina Ports Authority, established by the state’s General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, handling international commerce valued at more than $58 billion annually while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy. An economic development engine for the state, port operations facilitate 260,800 jobs across South Carolina and nearly $45 billion in economic activity each year. For more information, visit http://www.scspa.com.
