Charleston container throughput up 24 percent in March

The Port of Charleston’s container traffic increased by 24.4 percent in March compared to a year earlier, for the third month in a row of year-over-year volume increases.
March volume was also 11.3 percent higher than the February 2010 volume of containers at Charleston’s three container terminals.
Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, attributed the growth to restocking of inventories, export market growth and the SCSPA’s aggressive new business development efforts.
The SCSPA’s breakbulk volume was also up significantly, with total pier tons handled in March 46.5 percent higher than the same month last year at terminals in Charleston and Georgetown.
Newsome told the monthly board meeting of the South Carolina State Ports Authority that Charleston will get a new service in June when Chilean carrier CSAV plans to start calling at Charleston as the last U.S. port outbound on its new America Express Service, AMEX.
The AMEX service launches with the first sailing on May 16 from Ningbo on the following port rotation: Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Xingang, Busan, Kingston, Port Everglades, Port Elizabeth, Charleston, Caucedo, Cartagena and back to Ningbo.
The first AMEX call at Charleston is expected on June 24 at the Wando Welch Terminal.