South Carolina Ports’ (SC Ports) two rail-served inland ports recorded year-on-year (YoY) rail move increases in February as the hub continued to thrive despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, SC Ports said overall volumes were down due to delays at other ports, but that it remains “fluid and uncongested” with “efficient operations amid supply challenges”.
The Inland Port Greer enjoyed record volume during February as it recorded 14,418 rail moves, a 5% YoY meaning it has processed 102,772 in fiscal year 2021, an increase of 3% YoY.
Inland Port Dillion reported 2,823 rail moves and 24,593 this fiscal year, an increase of 7.4% YoY. SC Ports CEO Jim Newsome said the importance of moving goods quickly from ships to the hinterland via rail is paramount “as retail imports continue to boom”.
“Cargo owners benefit from SC Ports’ fast import transit to population centers — with intermodal imports arriving at the rail heads within 24 hours — and overnight rail service to Inland Port Greer and Inland Port Dillon,” Newsome said.
SC Ports moved 182,269 TEU across the Port of Charleston’s Wando Welch and North Charleston container terminals in February. The Port has handled more than 1.61 million TEU in fiscal year 2021, from July through February.
“By investing more than $2 billion in terminal infrastructure, we are able to deliver unmatched vessel and cargo fluidity to our customers,” Newsome explained.
“We remain focused on providing congestion-free terminals and available berths to keep the supply chain fluid.”
The boom in retail imports has caused severe congestion at the US’ biggest West Coast gateways and this has had a knock-on effect across the regional supply chain.
