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The Ports Authority is granting a conservation easement to the Mount Pleasant Open Space Foundation for property just south of the terminal, which is also protected under the 1979 settlement agreement that allowed the terminal to be built.

"This conservation easement further ensures that the natural buffer zone along Hobcaw Creek will remain for the benefit of both the terminal and our neighbors," said Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., president & CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority.

While the 1979 agreement provided substantial buffers, in 2005 the Ports Authority worked with the Hobcaw Creek Alliance of five neighborhoods around the terminal to further enhance and strengthen the separation between industrial and residential uses.

The Ports Authority and the neighborhoods eventually signed an agreement acknowledging that the terminal would be completed and that the Ports Authority would seek to enhance buffering and take other steps to minimize its impact.

This conservation easement is a separate, but complementary, action. Last year, the Ports Authority met with and heard from Town officials who supported the easement, including Councilman Gary Santos, as well as the Open Space Foundation. Members of the Charleston County Legislative Delegation representing East Cooper supported the easement, once planning and permitting of the terminal's completion was concluded. In August, with the support of the neighborhoods, Charleston County provided the necessary approvals for completion of the terminal, opening the door for the conservation easement.

Under the easement, the property must be maintained as a natural vegetative buffer and no structures of any kind are permitted.

Charleston, SC - South Carolina and Georgia have resolved a land dispute and will work together to develop a plan for a future port terminal in Jasper County, based on an agreement reached by the Jasper Bi-State Port Task Force.

Under the intergovernmental agreement to be signed by both states' port authorities and Georgia Department of Transportation, a new group, the Jasper Ocean Terminal Joint Project Office (JPO), will be formed to move the project forward.

The JPO will be overseen by a six-member Board, four from the states' existing ports authorities. Each governor appoints one member, while the chairman of both states' ports authorities will appoint two members from their respective boards. The chief executive of each state's port authority will serve as ex-officio members of the group.

"This agreement creates the framework for how South Carolina and Georgia will work together in the future as we explore all the details and options for a proposed new port terminal in Jasper," said Bill H. Stern, chairman of the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) and a member of the Task Force. "The agreement is a prudent, fail-safe solution for all parties on both sides of the river to begin the planning process."

Forming the JPO starts work on the project and will eventually result in a detailed proposal for consideration by both states. This bi-state compact, which must be approved by each state's General Assembly and the U.S. Congress, would cover the financing and operation of the project, as well as other issues.

The agreement initiates a number of specific steps. First, ownership of the property will be split equally between the two states, ending the expensive and time-consuming condemnation process. Preliminary meetings between the Task Force and environmental permitting identified a number of key challenges which officials concluded should be addressed by a coordinated effort by the two states working in cooperation.

Perhaps most importantly, the group will work to remove the federal easement on the property, which currently calls for the indefinite use of the site as a dredge spoils area.

Charleston, SC - The S.C. State Ports Authority (SCSPA) has switched to cleaner-burning ultra low sulfur diesel fuel three years ahead of a federal mandate.

While federal law requires the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) in all off-road equipment by 2010, the first deliveries of ULSD will arrive at SCSPA container terminals in Charleston early Tuesday morning.

"This move underscores our commitment to reduce air emissions and improve air quality in the greater Charleston region," said Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., president and CEO of the SCSPA. "We are switching to cleaner fuel well ahead of the curve."

Rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs), the large stacking cranes in container yards, will be the first fueled with ULSD. Storage tanks that supply fuel to about 70 other pieces of on-terminal equipment such as stacking cranes and yard trucks will be filled later. The SCSPA purchases almost one million gallons of diesel fuel annually.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that all off-road equipment switch to ULSD by July 1, 2010. Traditional low sulfur diesel meets a standard of 500 parts per million (ppm) sulfur content. Ultra-low sulfur fuel at SCSPA facilities must meet a standard of 15 ppm. Prior to this move, the SCSPA used low sulfur diesel in all of its equipment. The particulate matter reduction for ULSD has been estimated at 10%.

This is the latest effort by the SCSPA to reduce air emissions. In March, the SCSPA signed a memorandum of agreement with South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to partner in cutting port-related diesel emissions. In this agreement, the SCSPA committed to evaluate the use of cleaner fuels at its facilities.

Other parts of the agreement include conducting an air emissions inventory of existing facilities, funding a particulate matter monitoring station to be operated by DHEC and including contractor guidelines in construction bid documents. New and upgraded equipment with cleaner burning engines will provide additional emissions cutting benefits in the future.

In addition, productivity is a key to reducing air emissions. The SCSPA is recognized as a leader in both crane productivity and trucker turn times. These strides in efficiency mean ships stay in port for shorter lengths of time and truckers spend less time idling on facilities, both of which reduce emissions. Also, the SCSPA has replaced all of its dockside container cranes with new electrical units, eliminating diesel emissions.

Customs and Border Protection to Operate
AS&E?s OmniView High Energy Cargo Inspection System
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Friday, September 21 at 11:00 a.m.

Event contact and South Carolina media contact:
Jill Hirsekorn
SCRA
843-760-3329
jill.hirsekorn@scra.org

National media/public relations contact:
Dana Harris
Red Javelin Communications, Inc. for AS&E
978-440-8392
dana@redjavelin.com

CHARLESTON, SC - September 21, 2007 - American Science and Engineering, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASEI) (AS&E?), the leader in X-ray detection technology, and The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-South East (NLECTC-SE) a program of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), administered by SCRA, will be debuting a new port security cargo screening system deployed by Project Seahawk for use at the Port of Charleston's U.S. Customs and Border Protection Container Examination Station. NLECTC-SE has been working with AS&E to deliver and deploy AS&E?s OmniView Gantry X-ray Inspection system. The system is able to penetrate up to 14 inches of steel, thereby providing port officials a comprehensive and safe means to inspect cargo containers for terrorist threats. The system will be transferred from NLECTC-SE to Project Seahawk and will be operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This effort was funded through a grant from the Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice.

The Port of Charleston, one of the largest container ports in the United States, is home to Project Seahawk, a Law Enforcement Task Force that brings together federal, state and local agencies to improve port security, and serves as a model for ports around the Nation. "This further enhances the Port of Charleston's aggressive security posture," said Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., president & CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority. "It is vital that increased security be balanced with the smooth flow of commerce. This new unit will help do that."

"With the war on terrorism and a stronger emphasis on homeland security, it is widely recognized that the Nation's seaports are subject to a variety of threats, from importing weapons and other hazardous substances to illegal immigrants, and constitute a major target for terrorist activity," said Congressman Henry Brown, co-chair of the Congressional Port Security Caucus and co-sponsor of the recently passed SAFE Port Act. "By using advanced screening systems like OmniView, we will work to keep our seaports safe by deterring attacks before they occur." Congressman Brown, along with Senator Graham and other legislators support the use of this technology at ports and continue to support efforts to add additional technology capability to make ports more secure.

"The relocatable OmniView Gantry is an ideal solution to secure our Nation?s ports," said Anthony Fabiano, AS&E's President and CEO. "AS&E is working closely with the Port of Charleston to provide state-of-the-art technology to efficiently inspect containerized cargo."

"As an applied research and commercialization company which builds teams that create technology solutions, and as systems engineering and information prime for Project Seahawk, SCRA is pleased to team with NLECTC, AS&E, the Port of Charleston, and our Government partners to bring a new inspection application into the field," said Bill Mahoney, SCRA CEO.

Media are invited to join the following persons who are planning to be in attendance at the event:

Speaking:

• Whit Smith, vice chairman of the South Carolina State Ports Authority
• Bill Mahoney, SCRA chief executive officer
• Congressman Henry Brown, co-chair of the Port Security Caucus and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Attending:

• Leslie Thrasher, constituent services, Senator Lindsey Graham's office
• Frank Gutierrez, deputy director, Project Seahawk
• Pam Zaresk, area port director, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Captain Scott Beeson, U.S. Coast Guard, Project SeaHawk
• Bob Kiggans, SCRA chief operating officer
• John Bradham, SCRA senior vice president and Institute for Solutions Generation director
• Joe Reiss, vice president of marketing, AS&E

Date: Friday, September 21, 2007
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Charleston Freight Station
116 Springbok Lane
Charleston, SC
www.charlestonfreight.com

About AS&E
American Science and Engineering, Inc. (AS&E) is the leading worldwide supplier of innovative X-ray inspection systems. With over 45 years of experience in developing advanced X-ray security systems, the Company?s product line utilizes a combination of technologies, including patented Z Backscatter technology, Radioactive Threat Detection (RTD), high energy transmission and dual energy transmission X-ray. These technologies offer superior Xray threat detection for plastic explosives, plastic weapons, liquid explosives, dirty bombs and nuclear devices. AS&E's complete range of products include cargo inspection systems for port and border security, baggage screening systems for facility and aviation security, and personnel and passenger screening systems. AS&E systems protect high-threat facilities and help combat terrorism and trade fraud, drug smuggling, weapon smuggling, and illegal immigration and people smuggling. AS&E customers include leading government agencies, border authorities, military bases, airports and corporations worldwide, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Royal Thai Police, HM Revenue & Customs (U.K.) and Hong Kong Customs. For more information on AS&E products and technologies, please visit www.as-e.com.

About SCRA (www.scra.org)
SCRA is a global leader in applied research and commercialization services with offices in Anderson, Charleston, and Columbia, South Carolina; Dayton, Ohio and in the National capital region. SCRA collaborates to advance technology. SCRA provides technology-based solutions with assured outcomes to industry and government, and with the help of research universities like Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina.

Charleston, SC - A state administrative law judge has dismissed the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League's (SCCCL) challenges of state permits for the new port access road and marine terminal at the former Navy Base in Charleston.

"We're pleased that this has finally been resolved," said Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., president & CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA). "Every state and federal permitting agency has signed off on the plan, recognizing that this project benefits our neighbors, the environment and the economy."

The favorable ruling removes an automatic stay of construction and allows the SCSPA to move ahead with the three-berth, 280-acre container terminal. The project includes nearly $10 million in environmental and community mitigation, along with a voluntary air quality program to minimize emission from both new and existing terminals.

Work that does not require the state or federal permits is well underway. A major building and structure demolition contract was awarded last month and sites to test consolidation were developed earlier this May.

After the state Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) issued water quality permits for the terminal and road, the SCCCL sought to challenge both permits before the DHEC Board.

The SCSPA questioned the timeliness of these challenges, but the Board agreed to hear the matter, ultimately upholding the staff decisions to issue the permits.

The SCCCL then filed contested cases with the Administrative Law Court. The SCSPA again argued that the SCCCL did not follow the law and filed its request for final review outside of the time period designated by the state code.

In his orders on the two cases, Judge John D. Geathers ruled in favor of the SCSPA's motion to dismiss based on the fact that the SCCCL did not timely file their requests with the DHEC Board.

He wrote, "It is undisputed that the League failed to file a request for final review with the Board within the statutory time frame. The arguments offered by the League to excuse this failure to timely file are unavailing."

In addition, Judge Geathers notes in his order that while the law gives affected persons the statutory right to request to be notified of a decision on the permit applications, the SCCCL did not ask DHEC to notify them of the decision.

"Notably, the record in this case is devoid of any evidence that the League filed a request to be notified of the decision" Judge Geathers wrote in his order.

Charleston, SC - The first APL vessel in a new Suez service docked at the Port of Charleston's Wando Welch Terminal on Sunday, making about 900 lifts at an average of 42 moves per crane per hour.

The 903-foot-long PRESIDENT ADAMS is one of eight vessels in the New World Alliance's (NWA) weekly service between the U.S. East Coast and South Asia.

The Suez Express, or SZX, calls Colombo, Sri Lanka; Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates; Kelang, Malaysia; and Singapore. Transit time from Singapore to Charleston is 24 days.

The SZX increases NWA's Charleston business by 50%, and brings the consortium's total vessel count to more than 150 ships annually. NWA's other Charleston service, the Atlantic Pacific Express (APX), has two weekly calls in Charleston and links the port with Asia and North Europe.

NWA comprises American President Lines, Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. and Mitsui OSK Lines.

Each of the eight vessels on the SZX can carry between 4,000 and 4,500 20-foot equivalent units (TEU). Four of the vessels are U.S. flag carriers, meaning they are registered in the United States and carry American crews.

Charleston, SC - The S.C. State Ports Authority (SCSPA) has closed its latest fiscal year, capping off a period of momentum and key accomplishments that included the groundbreaking for a new container terminal, significant new equipment deliveries and increased productivity.

"This has been a year of great strides toward port expansion," said Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., president and CEO of the SCSPA. "South Carolina's ports are positioned for long-term growth and success."

Specifically, Groseclose cited the following accomplishments during the fiscal year 2007 that ended June 30:

New equipment totaling $64 million was delivered and installed at the SCSPA's terminals during the year, including four new super post-Panamax container cranes and 16 rubber-tired gantry cranes to improve space utilization and service to truckers.

Charleston's crane productivity in FY07 rose 5%, averaging 40.53 moves per hour per crane for the entire year, up from 38.76 moves per hour in fiscal 2006. Average trucker turn times through the SCSPA's common user gates dropped to just 20.76 minutes, a ten percent improvement over 22.99 minutes in FY06.

"The Port of Charleston's customers are enjoying record productivity and no congestion issues," said Groseclose. "Although we're in a period of softening demand, with new equipment and sound management practices in place, Charleston's prepared for growth."

In the fiscal year that ended June 30, container volumes at the Port of Charleston totaled 1,883,651 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), off 4.8% from last year.

The decline was driven primarily by industry mergers, declines in the housing industry and broad-based weakness across all trade lanes in the South Atlantic. For example, in the October to December period, total container volume from Virginia to Miami fell 3% from the previous year. From January to March, container volume in the South Atlantic was down 1% from the same three months last year.

For the year, the SCSPA's operating revenues totaled $153.44 million, while operating expenses were $103.56 million. This drove operating earnings for the year to $49.88 million, which translates to a 32.5% operating margin.

"The Ports Authority is certainly on solid financial footing as we move forward with major capital investments and the new terminal at the former Navy Base," said Groseclose.

In other port capacity news, the governors of Georgia and South Carolina announced an effort to explore cooperative development of a marine terminal in Jasper County on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River. In addition, the South Carolina General Assembly passed legislation placing primary responsibility for the site with the SCSPA and setting benchmarks for the development.

Throughout the year, the SCSPA broke ground in other ways as well. In the Corps' Final Environmental Impact Statement issued in December, the SCSPA included what is likely the largest mitigation plan in South Carolina's history. The $10-million plan not only includes funding for environmental programs, but it also includes community mitigation programs, a first for any port-related project.

The SCSPA also pledged to proactively study ways to cut air emissions at the port by signing a voluntary agreement with the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control. As a result, the SCSPA began the first air emissions inventory in the south and should complete this work next year.

At the dock, several new carrier services began this year, enhancing Charleston's connections to Asia, North Europe, India, the Mediterranean and South America.

Also, the Department of Homeland Security awarded the SCSPA $12.4 million in Port Security Grants in Rounds 6 and 7, announced in September and May respectively. Only four port areas in the nation (Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Seattle) have received more grant funding since the inception of the program in 2002.

Charleston, SC - On August 7, U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (second from left) presented the S.C. State Ports Authority (SCSPA) the "SC on the Move Award," recognizing the port's vital role in driving economic development and in keeping South Carolina secure. Joining Sen. DeMint were (L-R) Capt. Mike McAllister, U.S. Coast Guard - Sector Charleston; Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., SCSPA; and Pam Zaresk, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

With more than $23 million in Post Security Grant (PSG) funding awarded in seven rounds, the Port of Charleston has been the leading grant recipient of Tier II ports. Nationally, only four port areas (Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Seattle) have received more PSG funding than Charleston.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce:

"Products valued at billions of dollars pass through the Port of Charleston, and many of these are made in South Carolina and destined for international markets," said Gutierrez. "Made in USA products such as BMWs, machinery, consumer goods and agricultural products are being exported right through this port, supporting tens of thousands of jobs."

South Carolina's overall exports in 2006 totaled $13.6 billion and went to over 150 countries around the world.

"South Carolina contributed to last year's record high for U.S. exports, which totaled more than $1.4 trillion," Gutierrez said. "International trade generated $23 billion for South Carolina's economy."

Gutierrez noted that while countries that the United States has free trade agreements with make up only 7.5 percent of the world GDP, they purchase more than 42 percent of U.S. exports.

"Exports are helping to drive the U.S. economy and were a significant source of U.S. GDP growth in the 2007 second quarter.

"Free trade agreements are the best way to open markets and create growth and new American jobs," said Gutierrez, adding that Congress is now considering four FTAs with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea that would open doors to 126 million consumers with a combined GDP of $1.1 trillion.

"Passage of these four agreements is critical to U.S. economic and foreign policy and will help Charleston and South Carolina grow," Gutierrez said.

CONTACT:

Richard Mills or Dan Nelson

Department of Commerce Public Affairs
202-482-4883

 

Charleston, SC - The Port of Charleston has retained a sales representative in India to help serve the rapidly expanding trade, the S.C. State Ports Authority (SCSPA) announced at a dinner last night featuring India's Ambassador to the United States.

The Ambassador of India to the U.S. and Chief of Mission, Raminder Singh Jassal, traveled to Charleston earlier this week to discuss growing trade relations with India. His visit was coordinated by the S.C. World Trade Center.

"India is major market for the Port of Charleston," said Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., president and CEO of the SCSPA. "Charleston enjoys a dominant market share in this trade and our action to retain a sales representative in India shows our commitment."

Charleston's container trade with India has grown five-fold since 1999 and India is now the port's third largest trading partner. Last year, Charleston handled about half of all container cargo moving between the Indian subcontinent and ports from Florida to Virginia.

To continue to expand cargo and business opportunities between India and South Carolina, the SCSPA has retained Anthony Lobo as its newest sales representative, based in Mumbai.

Mr. Lobo retired from the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, having held senior positions in the company for 22 years. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at sea. Most recently, Mr. Lobo was general manager for Safmarine India.

Presently working with Titan Sea and Air Services Pvt. Ltd. (TSASPL), Mr. Lobo will represent the Port of Charleston with shippers, importers, logistics companies and prospective clients in India.

In addition to its Charleston-based sales staff, the Port of Charleston has representatives in Atlanta, New Jersey, Europe, Japan and China.

Mr. Lobo's contact information can be found at: https://scspa.com/about_the_port/contact_MandS.asp#India