South Carolina ports: More cargo in September, more funds for inland facility

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) on Tuesday announced its ports in September handled 133,011 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), increasing total volume in the first quarter of fiscal-year 2014 by 3.3 percent compared with the same FY2013 period.

From July through September, the ports handled 413,818 TEUs. Total exports in the quarter reached 216,680 TEUs, up 4 percent.

"We increased volumes on ships that validate our deepwater strategy during the first quarter, meeting an extremely aggressive growth goal for the period," said SCPA Chairman Bill Stern in a press release.

The authority also announced that its board approved an additional $2.7 million in funding for SCPA's inland port in Greer, S.C. — which opened earlier this week — to cover unforeseen weather and typography challenges during construction. The board previously approved $41.2 million for the project as part of a $1.3-billion, 10-year capital plan.

Served by Norfolk Southern Railway, the 91-acre inland port will maintain regular cargo activity while construction continues at the site through year's end. The facility offers overnight rail service to and from the Port of Charleston and features an initial annual capacity of 40,000 container moves, with the potential to be expanded to 100,000 moves, SCPA officials said.