Cargo volume up nearly 9% in South Carolina

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) handled record cargo volume, rail moves, and inland port activity in its 2019 fiscal year, ended June 30, port officials said this week.

SCPA handled nearly 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from July 2018 through June 30, 2019, an increase of 8.8 percent, officials said.

SCPA's Inland Port Greer, now in its sixth year of operation, reported its busiest year on record, with 143,204 rail moves, up nearly 22 percent from the previous year. In its first full year of business, Inland Port Dillon handled roughly 30,000 rail moves, officials said.

The port authority's RapidRail program, which provides a seamless connection between rail yards and marine terminals, saw record growth as well, with more than 330,000 rail moves during the year. Officials said the port now handles 24 percent of containerized volumes by intermodal container rail, the highest annual percentage in the port's history.