The operation provides new opportunities for exporting South Carolina products, while at the same time generating new business and supporting jobs across the port community.
With the new operation, grain from farms across the region will be trucked to the Wando Welch Terminal and loaded into ocean shipping containers for the overseas voyage to countries in Asia, Europe and other parts of the world. Products such as soybean, winter wheat and corn are increasingly moving in international shipping containers.
“Moving products grown in South Carolina efficiently from field to ship to market is a huge competitive advantage,” said Hugh Weathers, Commissioner of the S.C. Department of Agriculture. “Our ports are vital to the state’s agricultural industries, and opening new markets to our products is great for the economy.”
“This operation will serve increasing export demand and generate significant new business through the port,” said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCSPA. “We’re proud that The Scoular Company, a leading agricultural marketing company, has expanded its presence in Charleston.”
“The Scoular Company is using this new transload operation in Charleston to provide grain producers in the region higher prices based on improved access to international markets,” said John Gill, The Scoular Company’s Senior Merchant for Southeastern Markets. “The Port of Charleston offers a wide array of ocean carrier services to markets across the globe, and the SCSPA’s team was very aggressive and solutions-oriented in working with us.”
“Scoular is a world-class operation that will complement our existing services and allow us to build on the Port of Charleston’s deepwater advantage,” said Paul McClintock, the SCSPA’s senior vice president and chief commercial officer.
Charleston has the region’s deepest shipping channels, with vessels sailing at actual drafts of up to 48 feet on the tides. Deep channels are important because the Southeast’s leading exports – such as grain, paper and poultry – are heavy products that push ships down deeper in the water. As ocean carriers increasingly use bigger ships, they require deeper channels to realize the economic benefits of these larger vessels. Today, four post-Panamax ships a week call the Port of Charleston.
The SCSPA has a number of specific cargo initiatives to increase business through South Carolina ports, including this new transload operation, a new 100,000-lb. overweight permit and local rail transload operations. Charleston container volume is up 17.5 percent through the first 11 months of 2010.
