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Charleston, SC - While the pace of global recovery is cooling, shipping activity through South Carolina's ports remains up through the current fiscal year.

At its regular monthly board meeting today, the South Carolina Ports Authority today reported that container volume is up 10 percent in the current fiscal year to date (July 2010 through April 2011).

Public port facilities in Charleston moved 666,831 pier containers, up from 605,632 in the same period last year.

Breakbulk volume through the state's ports - driven primarily by vehicle shipments from BMW and energy related projects - rose 40 percent from 551,000 tons last year to 773,000 tons this year.

The Ports Authority Board also approved two projects at its meeting.

As part of the organization's Security Improvement Plan, the Ports Authority is acquiring five modular pre-manufactured structures for use as guard and security buildings at the North Charleston, Columbus Street and Veterans Terminals.

B.I.G. Enterprises will provide the buildings at a cost of $536,425.  The purchase will be funded through a combination of federal Port Security Grants (75 percent) and the Authority (25 percent).

The Board also approved a project to adjust timber fenders between the ship and the dock at the existing Union Pier passenger terminal.  Salmons Dredging of Charleston is being recommended to do the work at a cost of $197,764.

About the South Carolina State Ports Authority
The South Carolina State Ports Authority, established by the state's General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, handling international commerce valued at more than $50 billion annually while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy.  An economic development engine for the state, port operations facilitate 260,800 jobs across South Carolina and nearly $45 billion in economic activity each year.  For more information, visit www.scspa.com.

Charleston, SC - Container shipping volume through the Port of Charleston increased nearly 12 percent in the first three quarters of the fiscal year, and the state’s breakbulk tonnage increased 48 percent, even as the pace of volume gains has slowed.

In the July to March period, container traffic increased 11.6 percent to 1,033,062 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up from 925,837 TEUs in the same period last year. March volume alone was 120,265 TEUs, up 5.7 percent from March 2010.

“While the rate of growth is slowing from last year’s initial volume recovery, we are still moving in the right direction,” said Jim Newsome, President & CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA). “New distribution and manufacturing investments in the state and across the region, as well as export strength, will be felt in the coming months.”

Vessel calls were also up for the nine-month period, rising 11 percent to 1,271 ships.

At the Ports of Charleston and Georgetown, breakbulk cargo, including automobiles, project cargo, heavy lift shipments, were up 48 percent to 754,000 tons cfrom 511,000 tons in the first three quarters of 2011. A $21-million investment at Charleston’s Columbus Street Terminal is increasing the port’s breakbulk cargo-handling capacity.

“Through Columbus Street Terminal, the Port of Charleston now offers a ro-ro, heavy lift and project cargo terminal that rivals the best out there,” said Newsome. “With on-dock rail, excellent oversize clearances inland, substantial lay-down areas and mobile lifting capacity up to 500 tons, Charleston offers tremendous capabilities.”

At its regularly monthly meeting today, the SCSPA Board approved engineering services related to the relocation, realignment and removal of container cranes at Columbus Street and Wando Welch terminals. Shaw GBB will perform the services at a cost of $277,518.

The entire project, estimated at nearly $5 million, is driven by increasing arrivals of ships too large for the Panama Canal. Every week, Charleston receives four post-Panamax ships actually drafting up to 48 feet.

The SCSPA Board also approved security, entrance and roadway improvements at Veterans Terminal at a cost of $522,000. The project will be covered primarily by federal port security grant funding.

About the South Carolina State Ports Authority

The South Carolina State Ports Authority, established by the state's General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, handling international commerce valued at more than $50 billion annually while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy. An economic development engine for the state, port operations facilitate 260,800 jobs across South Carolina and nearly $45 billion in economic activity each year. For more information, visit www.scspa.com.

Posted on behalf of Team Lazarus/ Le Pingouin

APRIL  18, 2011 - (Charleston, SC) It has been a grueling eight months for American solo sailor Brad Van Liew, braving the elements at sea alone and pushing hard to bring home a win for the USA. Although the VELUX 5 OCEANS race pits sailors against each other in the ultimate solo challenge of racing around the globe alone, the event is far from lacking the element of teamwork. Van Liew will be welcomed to his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina this week with an abundance of fans and a notable new supporting sponsor. The South Carolina State Ports Authority has agreed to join Van Liew's campaign as an Associate Sponsor.

"The South Carolina Ports Authority is proud to have such a remarkable platform to communicate the vast assets of our state," said Jim Newsome, president & CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority. "Our ports are diverse, providing jobs for 260,000 men and women while also offering tremendous recreational and educational opportunities."  Last year, South Carolina's ports ranked eighth nationally in cargo value with $50 billion in goods moving across the docks.

Since announcing his campaign to compete and win the race, Van Liew has been buoyed by the support of the South Carolina community, and in particular that of the maritime industry. His tired race boat was hauled by Detyens Shipyard last year in preparation for the VELUX 5 OCEANS event. Various parts were machined by CMMC in North Charleston and Charleston Rigging helped with equipment to complete the refit and make Le Pingouin a winning race machine. There has been no shortage of community enthusiasm for Van Liew's attempt to be the first American to ever complete three solo circumnavigation races around the globe and represent the Palmetto State in the international community of ocean racing.

"After 20,000 miles on the ocean I am really looking forward to sailing into Charleston Harbor and seeing the familiar landscape of home," said Van Liew from 31 degrees North. "The South Carolina State Ports Authority is a vital part of our community, and as I race across the Atlantic to the finish line and then visits ports in Europe and the USA, I look forward to sharing the values and maritime excellence of South Carolina with the world."

Van Liew has competed in this epic solo race twice before aboard 50-foot race boats, taking third place as an underdog entry in 1999 and winning first place in his class in 2003 with a convincing cumulative lead of 21 days. The VELUX 5 OCEANS race of 2010-11 marks his first race on a 60-foot race boat and the introduction of the ECO-60 class. Each competitor is challenged with not only sailing around the world alone, but also showcasing sustainable practices that care for the delicate ocean environment.

The Velux 5 Oceans started from La Rochelle in France on October 17, 2010 and features five ocean sprints. After heading from La Rochelle, France to Cape Town, South Africa, the fleet sailed across the vast Southern Indian Ocean to Wellington, New Zealand.  From there, the racing yachts sailed to Punta del Este, Uruguay, and are now headed up the Atlantic to Charleston, South Carolina before returning across the ocean to France to the finish.  

For further information on Brad Van Liew or Team Lazarus, please contact:

Team Lazarus/ Le Pingouin
Meaghan Van Liew
M: + 1 843-814-3966
E: mvanliew@oceanracing.org 
W: www.oceanracing.org

South Carolina State Ports Authority
Byron Miller
O: +1 843-577-8197
E: bmiller@scspa.com

A group of major shipping lines has selected the Port of Charleston for a new, all-water service connecting the growing Southeast U.S. region with South Korea and Central and South China.

The South China East Coast Express 2 (SCE2) service, a joint service operated by the Grand Alliance carriers of Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL and NYK Line, along with ZIM Integrated Shipping Services and Hyundai Merchant Marine, will launch on May 12 from Pusan, South Korea.

The carriers will add weekly capacity of approximately 4,200 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) to the trade, expanding business opportunities for the hundreds of South Carolina companies that rely on international trade.

International ports of call on the service are Pusan, South Korea; Shanghai, Xiamen, Da Chan Bay, Hong Kong and Yantian, China; Manzanillo, Panama; and Kingston, Jamaica.

"Charleston offers efficient access to a healthy, growing base for both import and export cargo," said Paul McClintock, senior vice president and chief commercial officer for the South Carolina State Ports Authority. "On the export side, Charleston is an ideal gateway for the export-rich Southeast, and this service links shippers across the region to another growing consumer market - China."

Exports from South Carolina to North Asia continue to demonstrate strong growth. The Southeast U.S. is an expanding consumer base for import goods and continues to grow in population. Over the past 10 years, population growth in the South outpaced any other U.S. region at 14.3 percent, according to 2010 Census figures.

The SCE2 will call North Charleston Terminal, adding 52 ship calls a year and boosting economic impacts and jobs across the local maritime community.

Charleston, SC - Volume at South Carolina’s public ports was up in February on the heels on major improvements to container operations and the completion of a nearly $22-million project to accommodate growth in Charleston’s breakbulk sector.

Container volume in the Port of Charleston climbed 7 percent in February over the same month last year while volume for the first eight months of the South Carolina State Ports Authority’s (SCSPA) fiscal year increased more than 12 percent.

The Port of Charleston handled 108,994 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in February, up from 101,900 TEUs in February of last year. Fiscal year to date (July through February), Charleston handled 912,789 TEUs, up 12.4 percent from the same period last year.

The increase follows a major streamlining in January of the SCSPA’s container business segment, where all container business was consolidated in two terminals in Charleston while gate operations and processes were harmonized at those terminals. The move offered numerous benefits to port users, including extended gate hours and access to the SCSPA’s information systems for all port customers, all while boosting capacity by about 10 percent.

The SCSPA anticipates continued, but moderate, growth through the year. “Our team has re-established South Carolina’s commercial position and we are headed in the right direction,” said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCSPA.

Breakbulk tonnage in the Ports of Charleston and Georgetown was up more than 44 percent for the first eight months of the fiscal year, with 657,528 tons handled at the two ports in fiscal year 2011 versus 455,449 tons handled last year.

A $21.7-million project to reconfigure and improve Columbus Street Terminal as Charleston’s principal breakbulk, roll-on/roll-off and project cargo-handling facility was completed last month. The terminal now handles BMW’s growing export vehicle business that last year totaled more than $4 billion in cars shipped through the Port of Charleston.

About the South Carolina State Ports Authority:
The South Carolina State Ports Authority, established by the state's General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, handling international commerce valued at more than $50 billion annually while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy.  An economic development engine for the state, port operations facilitate 260,800 jobs across South Carolina and nearly $45 billion in economic activity each year.  For more information, visit www.scspa.com.

Charleston, SC - Thanks to a six-month, $22-million improvement project, the Port of Charleston has expanded to handle BMW's growing export business, along with other rolling stock, large machinery, power-generating equipment and additional non-container cargoes.

The South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) is putting the final touches on a new and improved Columbus Street Terminal. The $21.7-million investment enhances more than 70 acres of storage yard and adds additional rail infrastructure.

A primary driver of the work is BMW's growing export business. BMW manufactures X5, X6 and the all-new X3 vehicles at its Spartanburg, SC plant. In 2010, BMW's exports of the X-series to 130 global markets were valued at more than $4 billion.

To accommodate and better serve the automaker's business and other operations, the SCSPA is relocating roll-on/roll-off cargo operations from Union Pier Terminal to the larger Columbus Street Terminal, where the first BMW shipments arrived by rail last Tuesday.

"BMW is a strategic customer of the Port of Charleston, and this relocation to a more robust and capable terminal is essential to handle port growth," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCSPA. "BMW's success in South Carolina demonstrates the impact trade and our ports have on jobs and economic health," said Newsome.

Ships serving the BMW business began calling at Columbus Street Terminal over the weekend with the arrival of "K" Line's California Highway. Additional carriers including Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Hegh Line and ARC offer roll-on/roll-off service in Charleston, and numerous other breakbulk carriers routinely call Columbus Street Terminal.

The expansion will also serve increases in other non-container cargoes. "With highly skilled labor, rail infrastructure and lifting capabilities up to 500 tons, Charleston offers solutions for over-dimensional moves, project cargoes and other breakbulk cargoes," said Newsome.

As a result of the move, daily trainloads of vehicles will no longer cross streets south of Columbus Street Terminal. Cargo operations, including other rail, will continue at Union Pier until the new cruise terminal opens and the redevelopment of non-maritime properties begins.

About the South Carolina State Ports Authority
The South Carolina State Ports Authority, established by the state's General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, handling international commerce valued at more than $50 billion annually while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy. An economic development engine for the state, port operations facilitate 260,800 jobs across South Carolina and nearly $45 billion in economic activity each year. For more information, visit www.scspa.com.

Posted on behalf of BMW Manufacturing Co.

Spartanburg, S.C. - BMW Manufacturing Co. announced today that the export value of its passenger vehicles through the Port of Charleston in 2010 totaled $4.42 Billion. According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the value of BMW exports confirms the company’s Spartanburg facility as the largest vehicle exporter from the U.S. to non-NAFTA countries. In 2010, over 110,000 vehicles were exported from its South Carolina plant.

BMW’s plant in Spartanburg currently produces approximately 1,000 vehicles each day and is the exclusive exporter of passenger vehicles through the Port of Charleston to more than 130 global markets. In 2011, the plant is projected to increase annual capacity by 50% to about 240,000 vehicles and will continue its strong export activity, as this will mark the first full year of production of the new X3 and initial demand for the product is extremely favorable.

"BMW vehicles manufactured in South Carolina were a major contributor to the company’s success in 2010," said Josef Kerscher, president of BMW Manufacturing Co. "Consistently strong, global demand for the X5 and X6, and now the all-new X3 to global markets, has led to a net increase in our export volume through the port."

The plant originally began vehicle production in 1994. In the last 17 years, BMW has produced over 1.7 million vehicles and, today, exports about 70% of the BMW X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the X6 Sports Activity Coupe.

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Contact: Max K. Metcalf
864-989-5333
max.metcalf@bmwmc.com