South Carolina Ports notches eighth consecutive month of record container throughput

South Carolina container terminals registered their highest-volume October on record and marked eight months of consecutive record container volumes handled, the South Carolina Ports authority said Nov. 11.

Just over 234,900 twenty-foot equivalent units were handled across the Wando Welch, North Charleston and Hugh K. Leatherman terminals in October, an increase of 8.7% on year.

Loaded imports were up 12% to 107,773 TEU against the same month last year.

It was mainly retail imports, consisting primarily of home goods and furniture, which contributed to strong volumes, the port said in a statement.

The port is currently servicing four containerships, S&P Global Platts cFlow trade-flow analytics software showed Nov. 10. Two each are berthed at the Wando Welch and North Charleston terminals.

Platts cFlow also showed two additional ships waiting off the coast for berthing availability, with at least one more in transit.

Despite rampant congestion, US ports have been posting record import volume as consumer demand remains unabated. In tandem with elevated demand, container freight prices into the US have remained firm in the fourth quarter of the year.

Platts Container Rate 5 – North Asia-to-East Coast North America – was assessed Nov. 10 at $10,000/FEU, an increase of over 120% on year.