Jim Newsome, president and chief executive officer of the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA), delivered his 12th State of the Port address virtually Wednesday.
“Usually I have the privilege of speaking to 800 well-attired leaders of the maritime community,” Newsome said, noting that although the annual in-person gathering was moved online because of the coronavirus pandemic, “this is a message of great optimism about our future.”
And Newsome didn’t dwell on the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic derailed what most certainly would have been a record year for the SCPA. “We should not be deterred by the pandemic. We were on a record pace, the pandemic happened, we worked seamlessly through it,” he said.
“We should not lose focus of the fact that we have a lot of significant accomplishments,” continued Newsome, who, without stylish sets or prerecorded skits, straightforwardly delivered 2020 highlights, which included:
• Walmart in July announced plans to build a $220 million, 3 million-square-foot distribution center in Dorchester County, South Carolina, that is expected to increase volumes at the Port of Charleston by about 5% annually.
• The CMA CGM Brazil, the largest container ship to visit the U.S. East Coast at 15,072 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), called at the Port of Charleston in September.
• The Army Corps of Engineers awarded the final harbor deepening contract for a project that “will give us the deepest harbor on the East Coast of the United States,” Newsome said.
The 52-foot depth, combined with the widening of entrance channels and turning basins, will enable mega container ships to access port terminals anytime without tidal restrictions, according to the SCPA, which said this strategic advantage is crucial to its infrastructure investments and global competitiveness.
Looking ahead, Newsome said the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal is on track for a Phase 1 opening in 2021. Also to come next year are Wando Welch Terminal enhancements, massive ship-to-shore crane installations and Inland Port Greer expansion.
“2021 will be a truly historic year for the port,” he said…
