CHARLESTON, SC — APRIL 15, 2025 — With a key infrastructure project now complete, SC Ports’ busiest container terminal can once again handle three mega container ships simultaneously at any tide, providing expedited logistics and consistent fluidity for ocean carriers calling the Port of Charleston.
Wando Welch Terminal’s new toe wall — a new steel wall that runs along the terminal’s wharf — further strengthens the terminal to handle bigger ships and maintain deeper depths. Additional dredging in front of the terminal reinforces Charleston Harbor’s 52-foot-depth.
“With the deepest harbor on the U.S. East Coast and strategic port investments at our terminals, SC Ports can efficiently handle the biggest ships at any tide,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said. “These investments save our customers time and money. Ocean carriers can access our terminals without waiting, and we provide highly productive port service to quickly work ships and speed goods to market.”
SC Ports’ operations and berthing team worked alongside maritime partners to implement creative solutions for customers whenever construction limited the terminal to two berths.
“We are grateful to our customers for their incredible support as we navigated this critical infrastructure project, which will pay dividends to companies’ supply chains,” Melvin said. “Wando Welch Terminal is a powerhouse terminal, and with three berths fully open again, we are providing berth fluidity and reliable port service for our customers.”
SC Ports’ engineering team managed the 14-month wharf toe wall project, with WSP USA leading design and Mead and Hunt overseeing construction.
Russell Marine LLC installed steel sheet piles underwater and buried them into the channel bottom to reinforce the existing slope underneath the wharf. Marinex Construction Inc. completed the berth deepening.
The toe wall project and dredging cost roughly $23 million, with $11.2 million coming from a 2019 USDOT Maritime Administration Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant.
March volumes
The SC Ports team and maritime community handled 240,857 TEUs and 131,513 pier containers in March, up 11% compared to March 2024. This is the second consecutive month of stronger container volumes, following more tempered monthly volumes.
Rail-served Inland Ports in Greer and Dillon also performed well last month. Inland Port Greer handled 19,291 rail moves, up 20% from last year. This is an all-time record for the Upstate inland port, which recently completed a significant expansion to handle more cargo. Inland Port Dillon continued to see growth with 3,287 rail moves in March, up 14% year-over-year.
The maritime community handled 20,483 vehicles at the Port of Charleston in March, which represents 14% growth from last year.
“While we anticipate volume fluctuations amid economic uncertainties, we are encouraged to see stronger volumes across all our business segments,” Melvin said. “We celebrate our maritime community, who works together every day to keep freight moving for port-dependent businesses throughout the Southeast and beyond.”