South Carolina, Virginia ports set cargo records in October

Two eastern U.S. ports posted record cargo volume last month.

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) in October logged 217,035 20-foot equivalent units (TEU), an 18.7 percent year-over-year increase in container volume growth and a record for monthly container volume, port officials said in a press release.

October container traffic surpassed the port's previous record of 206,541 TEU, which was set in August. SCPA's fiscal-year container volumes have increased 10.3 percent compared with the same period a year ago, with 797,396 TEU moved since July 1.

"We are getting increasing evidence that, in addition to a strong economy, some of this volume spike may be accounted for by customers advancing shipments to avoid pending tariffs slated to take effect in January," said SCPA president and Chief Executive Officer Jim Newsome in a press release.

Meanwhile, the Port of Virginia processed more than 270,000 TEU, also setting a new record for the amount of cargo volume handled in a single month, port officials said in a press release.

The record was driven by a 2 percent increase in loaded imports and a 14.5 percent increase in export empties.

As the port's capacity expansion projects at the Virginia International Gateway and Norfolk International Terminals move forward, the port is focused on drawing down empty container inventory to better focus on loaded units and building efficiency, said Virginia Port Authority CEO and Executive Director John Reinhart.