South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) has approved a US$160M budget, projecting more than US$100M in capital spending and a slight increase in container traffic for the coming fiscal year.
Approval of the financial plan comes on the heels strong results in the Port of Charleston. In May, the port handled 157,553 TEU, up 7% from the same month last year and up 14% from the previous month.
More than US$80M of the anticipated capital spending in the next 12 months will go directly to projects adding new capacity to the SCSPA's port facilities, primarily in Charleston. Progress and spending is also anticipated on development of the new joint port facility (SCSPA/GPA) on the Savannah River in Jasper County.
For the SCSPA's 2009 fiscal year that begins July 1, operating revenues are expected to increase 1.63% to US$160.4M and pier containers are projected to increase just slightly (0.5%) from the current year.
The largest allocations of the capital spend plan for FY09 are US$56.2M for the new container terminal at the former US Navy Base and US$24.7M for container yard expansion and improvements.
The SCSPA has also approved a US$461,000 contract to Banks Construction of North Charleston to pave a 2-acre parcel at Columbus Street Terminal that was formerly part of the right-of-way for the old Cooper River bridges. And it approved US$200,000 for maintenance berth dredging at the Port of Georgetown.
In other US port news, the Port of Houston Authority is considering a US$100.5M project to add around 1330ft of deep water quay at Bayport Container Terminal "to accommodate a growing market." Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation has been selected to design the project.
Finally, Maersk Line has just announced the completion of the first direct-to-dock rail delivery of US military cargo at the new APM Terminals facility in Portsmouth, VA.
Maersk partnered with affiliate company APM Terminals Virginia and with Norfolk Southern to complete this operation, which is more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional cargo delivery and loading activities that rely on trucks to move military vehicles in small batches from the point of origin to the seaport.
In this case, hundreds of armoured Humvees were loaded onto railcars at the manufacturer and delivered directly via rail to the APMT facility in Portsmouth, which currently features six on-dock rail tracks, with potential expansion to 12. Once at the dock, the Humvees were placed on flatracks and lifted directly onto one of Maersk's US flag container ships, part of the weekly Middle East Container Line service. |
