South Carolina Ports (SC Ports) has expanded its weekly service coverage at the Port of Charleston from 25 to 29 with new ocean carrier deployments.
SC Ports provides first in-calls from important markets in Asia and Europe, allowing imports and exports to move quickly between the US Southeast and global markets.
SC Ports President and CEO, Barbara Melvin, said: “The Port of Charleston serves as a powerful gateway for importers and exporters.
“Our highly productive operations deliver sustained fluidity to quickly work ships. We provide reliable port service so our customers can focus on running and growing their businesses.”
READ: SC Ports suffers 11 per cent container traffic dip
Two of the 29 weekly trips are first-in-calls from Asia: Maersk/Hapag-Lloyd’s TP11/US1 and MSC/ZIM’s Emerald/ZXB, offering the fastest route from Vietnam to the South Atlantic.
Three first-in-calls from Europe, covering all major carriers, support manufacturers’ supply networks through this Charleston trade route.
SC Ports will also offer a new direct connection to Turkey and Israel starting in April.
MSC’s EMUSA service will offer a direct connection to Charleston for this important Eastern Mediterranean market.
In February, SC Ports handled 225,532 TEUs, up 11 per cent, and processed 123,611 pier containers, a 10 per cent increase from February 2024.
The growth was driven by a surge in imports, signalling a strong recovery after slower container volumes.
READ: SC Ports sees 5 per cent TEU growth in November
Inland Ports in Greer and Dillon also saw remarkable performance.
Inland Port Greer processed 18,669 rail moves, marking an 18 per cent year-over-year (YoY) increase and the second-highest monthly total in its history.
Inland Port Dillon recorded 3,412 rail moves in February, a decline of 18 per cent compared to last year, though the trend has been steadily improving since December.
Melvin said: “South Carolina ranks number 5 in the nation for both population and GDP growth. This will continue to drive imports and exports to our port.
“The Southeast is booming, and we are ready to support this growing market with 10 million TEUs of capacity on the horizon and an expanded intermodal network.”
In February, SC Ports welcomed the OOCL Iris to the Wando Welch Terminal, setting a new record for the largest vessel to call the Port of Charleston at 16,828 TEUs.
