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Charleston, SC - Driven by a surge in exports and broad customer demand, the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) is teaming up with the Charleston region's rail-served warehouses to serve targeted export accounts through the Port of Charleston.

The new business development program aims to build new business through the port and 14 rail-served warehouses with 2.7 million square feet of space in the Charleston area.

Charleston's deep channels and rail-served warehouses are generating and meeting significant export demand, said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCSPA. Through this new collaborative program with some of the most innovative companies in the port community, we're looking to build solutions for exporters while boosting port volume.

In April, Charleston's loaded export containers (measured in 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs) increased 36 percent year-over-year and were up 6 percent from March. Exports in the Port of Charleston recently have risen sharply, due to a recovering global economy, a weak dollar and increased demand for the products used to make or package import goods.

The new public-private initiative will boost local business while delivering cost savings and environmental benefits to shippers. It brings to bear collaborative marketing and aggressive joint sales efforts between the SCSPA and 14 warehouses with rail connections in the Charleston metro region.

The rail-served warehouses have diverse cargo handling capabilities. The sites are served by both or either Class 1 railroads, Norfolk Southern and CSX.

The commodities targeted for the initiative, such as cotton, lumber, woodpulp and food products, are ideal for transload operations, which involves moving the cargo from rail into ocean-going shipping containers at a warehouse near the port where equipment is plentiful.

Transloading these cargos - which are typically heavier than import loads - has two major benefits, saving the shipper transportation costs while providing environmental benefits by reducing emissions.

The initiative is also good news for the ocean carriers calling the Port of Charleston. Because of Charleston's deep water, which is 45 feet at low tide and 50 to 51 feet at high tide, the carriers can take on heavier export loads and additional containers in order to fill their vessels to capacity. Ships drawing up to 48 feet can transit the harbor to and from Charleston's docks.

Having the deepest water in the Southeast allows the carriers to really max out export loads, said Newsome. For every foot of water gained, an ocean carrier can handle about 100 additional fully loaded, 40-foot containers. That's good news for everyone involved in the movement of that cargo, from the warehousers to the dock workers and beyond.

Details on the new initiative, as well as contact information and facility details for all 14 warehouses, can be found online at: https://scspa.com/transload.pdf.

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 nearly $45 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 $44.8 billion in economic activity each year. For more information, visit www.scspa.com.

Charleston, SC - April container shipments through the Port of Charleston jumped 28.5 percent from last year.

Both imports and exports showed significant increases over the same month last year and against the previous month. April was the fourth straight month of year-over-year container volume increases for the Port of Charleston, which has enjoyed the return of business at an increasing pace.

Exports have been leading the way lately, and now imports are coming back as well, said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCSPA. Loaded export containers were up 38.1 percent in April from the same month in 2009, and loaded imports increased 25.1 percent. Import growth is a very positive indicator and one that we'll watch very closely in the coming months, Newsome said.

With many ships calling Charleston last port outbound before sailing overseas, this is a natural port for export cargoes, said Newsome. Ships can actually sail from Charleston drawing up to 48 feet, a huge advantage for ocean carriers and U.S. exporters. Now, with an expanding distribution and warehousing base, Charleston's powerful role in the import network is being discovered.

April was Charleston's strongest month for container volume in nearly a year and a half. In addition to the increase when compared to last year, April container volume was up 3.8 percent from the month prior.

Charleston, SC - At its monthly Board meeting today, the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) announced double-digit volume increases during March, along with the addition of a new service between Charleston, Northern China and South Korea.

"These volume gains are encouraging and significant," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCSPA. He attributed the growth to restocking of inventories, export market growth and the SCSPA's aggressive new business development efforts. As ocean carriers look to enhance or start new services, Charleston is firmly on their radar screen, Newsome said.

The new weekly service will bring 52 additional ship calls annually, linking Charleston directly to markets across Northern China and South Korea. Transshipment in the Caribbean will provide additional market access across Central and South America.

Paul McClintock, senior vice president and chief commercial officer of the SCSPA, highlighted Charleston's advantages. The strategic placement of Charleston as the last U.S. port outbound highlights this region's export potential to markets in Asia. With the deepest channels in the region, as well as ample capacity and equipment, Charleston is a compelling place to do business. We look forward to growing CSAV's already substantial presence in Charleston.

The service launches with the first sailing on May 16 from Ningbo, China with additional port calls at Shanghai, Qingdao, Xingang, Busan, Kingston, Caucedo and Cartagena. The first Charleston call is expected on June 24 at the Wando Welch Terminal.

Charleston, SC - The 2,000 ships that visit the Port of Charleston will switch to cleaner low-sulfur fuel and dramatically reduce air pollution, under new rules approved by an international agency.

Meeting in London last week, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization has approved an Emission Control Area (ECA) within 230 miles of the North American coast, requiring ships to use cleaner fuels while transiting and while at the dock.

The new restrictions, which impact both cargo and cruise ships, will cut the level of sulfur in fuel by 98 percent, fine particulate matter (PM) emissions by 85 percent and smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution by 80 percent, according to the EPA.

"This is a tremendously important step for clean air in the Charleston metro area," said Jim Newsome, president & CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA). "Requiring ships to use low sulfur fuel will make a huge dent in port-related emissions," said Newsome.

According to air emissions inventories, port-related emissions comprise about 1 to 5 percent of total emissions in the Tri-county region. However, ocean-going ships are a large contributor to the port's overall share.

Recognizing that ocean-going vessels are a key source of port-related air pollution, the SCSPA has supported the stringent new restrictions for ships calling our coast. In November 2007, the SCSPA Board unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to reduce emissions from vessels calling the United States.

"An international approach is obviously much more effective than unilateral action," said Newsome. "Stringent global standards ensure consistency and meaningful reductions, which simply can't be accomplished through a patchwork of local or state regulations."

Diverse groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the World Shipping Council have advocated establishment of the ECA. New tougher sulfur standards for ocean-going vessels will start in 2012 and increase by 2015.

While Charleston's air quality meets all federal and state standards, the SCSPA is seeking to reduce port-related emissions through partnerships with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, as well as 23 private companies and associations. Specific programs include replacing old engines in cargo handling equipment, tugs and a dredge, reducing truck emissions and using cleaner fuels in landside diesel engines.

Charleston, SC - The South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) and the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today extended a voluntary agreement that has successfully reduced port-related air emissions.

Through a unique partnership - the only one of its kind in South Carolina - the two agencies have worked together over the past three years to implement programs that cut emissions associated with the port's existing and future facilities and improve air quality in the Charleston region.

The SCSPA's efforts have earned national acclaim. In a visit to the port this month, EPA assistant administrator Gina McCarthy lauded the SCSPA's proactive approach to cutting emissions both on its facilities and beyond the port's footprint.

Since the partnership started in March 2007, the SCSPA and DHEC have brought on various emissions reductions that impact both current and future facilities. Specific actions either accomplished or underway include:

Perhaps the greatest work is associated with the more than $5 million in federal grants and local matching funds that are reducing more than 2,500 tons of pollutants from both port-owned and privately-owned diesel equipment. The public-private partners in the projects include the SCSPA, DHEC, and 23 private companies and associations.

"The Port of Charleston has become recognized as a leader in environmental stewardship throughout the Southeast," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCSPA. "Continuing our partnership with DHEC strengthens the port community's pledge to cleaner air while we grow business through the port."

"This has been a precedent-setting partnership," said DHEC commissioner C. Earl Hunter. "The Ports Authority and the transportation industry have taken a proactive approach to reducing emissions and improving air quality. DHEC looks forward to continuing this work."

Georgetown, SC - The Port of Georgetown is welcoming the first ship call as part of a 20-year contract with a South Carolina manufacturer and exporter of biofuel.

The Liamare, a 351-foot bulk cargo vessel, is scheduled to dock at the Port of Georgetown Friday morning and load 5,000 tons of wood briquettes for export for Charleston-based Carolina-Pacific. The briquettes are used in power generation, primarily in Europe, as an eco-friendly substitute or supplement to coal.

In addition to the business across the dock and the related maritime job impact, Carolina-Pacific set up on-site manufacturing operations known as "Carolina-Pacific Briquetting" at the Port of Georgetown last fall. The company occupies more than 100,000 square feet of warehouse space at the port to manufacture and export wood briquettes, wood pellets and switchgrass pellets.

"We're excited to welcome our first ship and hope to continue to build export volume in the coming months," said John B. Kern, chairman and CEO of Carolina-Pacific. Kern said that the next ship to load the briquettes is expected in May.

In addition to the local impact, Carolina-Pacific's operation has a direct tie to the state's forestry industry by using South Carolina-sourced Southern Yellow Pine in the Georgetown production of the briquettes.

The South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA), which owns and operates the Port of Georgetown, is working to bring additional business and cargo to the docks. The SCSPA sales team continues to pursue business for Georgetown while working with the South Carolina Congressional Delegation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on getting the channel back to its authorized depth of -27 feet.

Another ship is expected in Georgetown later this month to offload a different product.

Wood pellets and briquettes are quickly becoming in high-demand across the Atlantic due to requirements by the European Union that member countries generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Last summer, Carolina-Pacific signed a 20-year contract with the SCSPA with two, five-year renewal options to ship through the Port of Georgetown.

Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

(ATLANTA - March 2, 2010) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator of Air and Radiation Gina McCarthy joined South Carolina State Ports Authority President & CEO Jim Newsome, S.C. Department Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) Deputy Commissioner Bob King, and SC State Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Betsy Carpentier and the private sector in an event that illustrated how funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are being used to improve air quality and create jobs in Georgia. The event included a tour and demonstration of how filters and cleaner engines installed on buses, trucks and other diesel equipment help to reduce the amount of harmful soot particles in the air.

EPA recognized the Port of Charleston for using ARRA funds to repower and retrofit cargo handling and other diesel equipment at the Port of Charleston. SCSDE was recognized for using ARRA funding to replace old school buses with new low emission hybrid buses and retrofit existing buses with cleaner technology.

"These Recovery Act projects are improving air quality throughout the Charleston area" said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator of Air and Radiation. "Cleaner air means fewer asthma attacks, hospital visits, and better health in the community."

With the help of stimulus funds, the Port of Charleston is implementing a $3.6-million project to reduce diesel emissions from cargo handling equipment, tug boats, a harbor dredge and local drayage trucks. Local partners are providing $1.6 million in matching funds in addition to the nearly $2 million in stimulus money. This project, which is part of Charleston's Pledge for Growth environmental initiative, will reduce total annual NOx emissions by 176.25 tons and particulate matter (PM) by 9.88 tons per year, while helping to create or retain 37 jobs.

With over $700,000 in ARRA funds the SC Department of Education is replacing four existing 65-passenger school buses with four hybrid electric buses. The department will also retrofit crankcase ventilation filtration systems on 500 of its 1995 model buses. That upgrade will result in an estimated 4.7 ton reduction in diesel emissions. This project is expected to create and/or save 17 jobs?putting people to work building the buses and retrofit devices

One year ago, EPA was entrusted with $7.2 billion dollars to invest in our economy --- to rebuild critical infrastructure in our communities; to invest in jobs that would put our citizens back to work and to rekindle a strong and thriving economy. In that short year, EPA has worked diligently to move that money into the hands of our partners and to clear the way for rapid investments in construction, land reuse and redevelopment.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Feb. 17, and has directed the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at www.Recovery.gov.

Charleston, SC - Mediterranean Shipping Company's (MSC) Golden Gate Service (GGS) made its inaugural call today in the Port of Charleston, linking the Southeast's deepest seaport with China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

"The Port of Charleston and the entire state of South Carolina are proud to welcome the GGS service and the Rita to our state," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA). Importers and exporters across the U.S. Southeast and Gulf region will benefit from additional connections into China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and India through Charleston.

The GGS port rotation includes Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan and Yantian, China; Singapore; Salalah, Oman; Suez Canal transit; New York; Baltimore; Norfolk; Charleston; Freeport, Bahamas; Suez Canal transit; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Singapore; Chiwan; Hong Kong. Connecting services through the GGS offer extensive links to ports in India, the Red Sea and the Middle East.

The service provides a 21-day transit time outbound from Charleston to Jeddah.

With a 45-foot deep shipping channel at mean low water (MLW), Charleston has the deepest water south of Norfolk on the U.S. East Coast. A five to six-foot tidal lift allows ships with up to 48 feet of draft to transit the harbor.

The GGS also consolidates MSC's already strong presence in the Port of Charleston and in the local community. MSC already sends five additional ships a week to Charleston serving the western Mediterranean, South American, Caribbean, African and European trades.

In 2009, MSC and the SCSPA signed a new five-year extension to the carrier's contract, lengthening its commitment in Charleston to 2017.

Last year, MSC dedicated its new, 45,000-square-foot South Atlantic corporate headquarters in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The company directly employs approximately 225 professionals in the Charleston region.