Port of Charleston Imports Jump 18% in May

South Carolina Ports is reporting its 15th conecutive month of cargo records at the Port of Charleston as sustained retail imports continue to drive record volumes.

SC Ports handled 255,104 TEUs across the Port of Charleston’s three container terminals in May, up nearly 11% from last year. Loaded imports were up 18% in May compared to last year.

Fiscal year to date (July through May), SC Ports has moved roughly 2.7 million TEUs so far in 2022, up 15% fiscal year-over-year.

The Port of Charleston has been a big winner as shippers have shifted imports to Gulf and East Coast ports away Southern California congestion.

SC Ports also handled 141,823 pier containers during the month, which account for boxes of any size. This is a 10% increase from last year. So far in fiscal year 2022, SC Ports has moved nearly 1.5 million pier containers, up 14% from the same period last year.

“Our SC Ports team, maritime community and logistics partners have made significant progress on our berth and terminal fluidity during ongoing supply chain challenges,” SC Ports CEO Jim Newsome said. “As we continue to navigate this ever-changing environment, we are implementing creative solutions for shippers, such as giving berth priority to vessels taking out more cargo and deploying more than 1,000 chassis thus far from our new SMART Pool fleet.”

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