As measured in pier containers, or total boxes handled, fiscal year-to-date volumes were up 5.7% with 468,776 boxes moving across SCPA docks since July.
Non-containerised cargo volume climbed nearly 13% higher than fiscal year-to-date plans, with 581,915 pier tons moved during the period.
Charleston handled 69,966 tons in November, while Georgetown moved 28,172 tons. “The Port’s November volumes reflect the sustained moderate growth we expected during FY2016,” said SCPA president and CEO Jim Newsome. “Our broad-based increases will remain tempered in comparison to last year’s double-digit growth, but I expect we will continue to keep pace with growth above the US port market average.”
Rail moves at the Inland Port continued to be strong, with 6,076 moves in November. Fiscal year to date, the facility has handled 34,307 rail moves, an increase of 58.2 percent compared to the same period last year.
The Board also approved a modification to the construction contract for the expansion of the New Orleans Cold Storage facility, which upon completion will double its existing storage space. Refrigerated cargo is a rapidly growing market segment for SCPA, with annual refrigerated cargo volume growth of 20 percent from fiscal year 2014 to 2015.