In April 2012, the South Carolina State Port Authority (SCPA) handled 123,439 TEU in the Port of Charleston, the strongest April seen at the port since 2008 and a 7.7% increase from the same month last year.

Containerised traffic in TEU terms for the 10 months comprising the fiscal year to date (June through April) is up 2.7% from the same period in 2010-11, while container volume for the calendar year to date (January through April) increased 7.3% over calendar 2011 levels.

SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome stated that two new, weekly container services (will) connect he Port of Charleston to markets in Asia, including the first direct Vietnam call for the port, beginning in June.

The SCPA’s non-containerised cargo continued its upward trend, with breakbulk tonnage in the Port of Charleston up 57% with for the month of April and up nearly 24% in fiscal 2011-12 to date.

Newsome also stated that he is “extremely pleased” with recent progress in Charleston’s harbour deepening project. “This project has a high degree of recognition…the urgency of improving ports and harbors is understood by all levels of leadership.”

In April, the US Senate Appropriations Committee retained US$3.55M in funding allocated to the deepening project’s feasibility study through the Administration’s budget for fiscal year 2013, which begins in October.

In the state legislature, the South Carolina House of Representatives has set aside US$180M in non-recurring funds for the harbour deepening construction as part of the state budget, currently under review in the Senate.

This allocation would cover the state’s 60% share of the estimated US$300M cost for construction. Also in April, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill authorising the state to borrow up to US$120M to complete the project if federal funds are not available.