CHARLESTON, SC — MAY 15, 2025 — South Carolina Ports remains focused on providing highly productive, reliable port service to support companies’ supply chains throughout the Southeast and beyond.
“As carriers and shippers navigate current market conditions, customers can count on SC Ports and our broader port community to deliver quality port service,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said. “We excel at quickly working ships and moving goods through our terminals. We have available chassis, trucking capacity and rail connections to further speed goods to market.”
Charleston’s 52-foot harbor depth further expedites logistics, and new carrier services at the Port of Charleston provide shippers with much-needed flexibility and access to key markets.
“SC Ports’ ocean carrier services are diverse and span various trade lanes, which can help mitigate disruptions in region-specific supply chains,” Melvin said. “With 29 weekly services at the Port of Charleston, and critical first-in calls from key markets in Asia and Europe, imports and exports swiftly flow between the U.S. Southeast and international markets.”
In April, the Port of Charleston handled 215,804 TEUs and 118,215 pier containers, which is flat compared to the year prior. Container volumes remained relatively consistent in April, following two months of container growth.
Vehicle imports and exports at the Port of Charleston totaled 12,339 in April, representing a 32% decrease from last year.
Railed cargo continues to be a bright spot, with both Inland Ports Greer and Dillon handling strong volumes in recent months.
Inland Port Greer achieved a record April with 18,394 rail moves, representing 14% growth from last April. Greer’s recent expansion increases cargo capacity by 50%, enabling the rail-served inland port to handle 300,000 rail lifts to support growing customer demand in the region.
Inland Port Dillon handled 4,213 rail moves in April. This is down 11% year-over-year, but breaks 4,000 rail moves for the first time this fiscal year.
SC Ports is on track to move more goods via rail when SC Ports opens the near-port Navy Base Intermodal Facility (NBIF). Construction is progressing well at the cargo yard, which will be rail-served by both CSX and Norfolk Southern. This will provide direct connections to Inland Ports Greer and Dillon, and further enhances South Carolina’s rail access to key markets like Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville and beyond.
“We are proactively investing in our port terminals and rail infrastructure to support the growth occurring in the Southeast for the long-term,” Melvin said. “As volumes fluctuate in the short term, we are committed to providing fluidity for companies’ supply chains.”
About South Carolina Ports
South Carolina Ports owns and operates marine terminals at the Port of Charleston and two rail-served inland ports in Greer and Dillon. As the 8th largest U.S. container port, SC Ports connects port-dependent businesses throughout the Southeast and beyond to global markets. SC Ports proactively invests in infrastructure ahead of demand to provide reliable service, efficient operations, cargo capacity, an expansive rail network and the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet. SC Ports is a vital economic engine for South Carolina, with port operations supporting 1 in 9 jobs statewide. Learn more: scspa.com.