Last month, 224,407 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and 124,448 pier containers filled with goods were moved at the Port of Charleston, according to SC Ports, which owns and operates marine terminals there, plus two rail-served inland ports in Greer and Dillon. This marked the second highest July ever, following July 2021’s record spurred by the pandemic-related import boom, SC Ports said during its Aug. 21 announcement.
Norfolk Southern-served Inland Port Greer had “an all-time record July,” moving 17,332 containers on and off trains, a 17% increase year-over-year, SC Ports said. CSX-served Inland Port Dillon also set a record last month, with 3,681 rail moves, a 26% gain over 2023.
Additionally, SC Ports handled 10,814 vehicles in July. This was down year-over-year, it said, “as July is typically a slower month for this segment.” SC Ports supports global automakers by importing parts and exporting finished vehicles for BMW Manufacturing Co., Mercedes-Benz Vans and Volvo Cars, among others.
Similarly, SC Ports finished Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 with a 7% uptick in container volumes moving through the Port of Charleston in June. It handled 218,115 TEUs and 121,267 pier containers, “marking the second highest June on record.” Loaded imports were up 10% and loaded exports were up 5%, “signifying overall strength in the Southeast market,” it said.
In FY24, SC Ports and the broader maritime community handled nearly 2.5 million TEUs and 1.4 million pier containers, slightly down from the previous fiscal year. Both Inland Port Greer and Inland Port Dillon handled record cargo volumes in FY24, with a combined 230,409 containers being moved on and off trains at the rail-served inland ports, up 24% year-over-year.
“The team at South Carolina Ports works in tandem with many maritime and logistics partners every day to efficiently move goods in support of our customers,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said. “It takes all of us working together to keep the supply chain fluid for the U.S. East Coast port market.”
