David Wilkins Is Still Lobbying

Former S.C. Speaker of the House and U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins remains one of the most revered “Republicans” in the Palmetto State – for reasons that will forever elude us.
What did Wilkins accomplish during his 11-year tenure as Speaker? Not much … in fact along with his successor Bobby Harrell and Senate leaders [...]

SC Port Container Traffic Up Ten Percent

Charleston, SC – The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) grew volume across business segments in calendar year 2012, closing a year marked by new carrier services, progress on the inland port in Greer and major advancements on Charleston’s harbor deepening project.
In results announced today at the SCPA’s regular meeting, container volume in Charleston was up [...]

Charleston Container Traffic Up 12 Percent

Charleston, SC – Container traffic at the Port of Charleston was up nearly 12 percent in November, in results announced at today’s regular South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) Board meeting.
Last month, the Port of Charleston handled 125,780 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), an 11.9 percent increase from the same month last year. Gains for containers handled at [...]

Another Old Ship? Not With Our Tax Dollars!

GROUP WANTS TO RELOCATE BATTLESHIP IN PORT ROYAL, S.C.
A group of Lowcountry residents are trying to raise the money needed to bring a nineteenth century battleship from Philadelphia to Port Royal, S.C. – although it remains to be seen whether they will be able to pull off the project without relying on millions of dollars [...]

Ralph Norman: Anti-Semite?

DID LAWMAKER CALL POLITICAL ANTAGONIST A “GREEDY JEW?”
This website has written extensively on the crusade of S.C. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-Rock Hill) against a “corrupt deal” involving a piece of land at the S.C. Farmers Market.
As we noted in our story, Norman is making waves over this deal because it involves S.C. State Ports Authority [...]

Port Of Charleston Box Volume Up 19 Percent In August

Port of Charleston Tops List of East and Gulf Ports in Magazine Survey
Charleston, SC - Container volume in the Port of Charleston saw another double-digit increase in August, with a 19.3 percent gain in box volume for the month compared to last year.
After posting a 16 percent jump year-over-year in July, the port handled 137,039 20-foot equivalent [...]

Port Of Port Royal: Still For Sale

GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE, GOING … FOUR TIMES?
Efforts by the S.C. State Ports Authority (SCSPA) to unload one of its shuttered facilities have once again fallen through – proving just how difficult it is for governments to unload surplus property in a depressed real estate market.
The Port of Port Royal – a facility which was [...]

Port Of Charleston Reports Growth

Charleston, SC – The Port of Charleston was the fastest-growing top 10 U.S. container port for the first six months of 2012. Charleston container volume grew 7.4 percent from January to June this calendar year, edging out other top 10 ports on both the U.S. East and West coasts.
Additionally, in fiscal year end results announced [...]

Updated SC Port Rankings

WHERE WE AT?
In a recent story on the state of Mississippi’s port expansion plans, we took South Carolina’s elected and appointed officials to task for their failure to keep up with our state’s port competitors (again).
Talk about a broken record, right?  Seriously … we’ve been banging this drum for years, arguing that South Carolina should [...]

SC Legislature Commits $300 Million To Port Dredging

Charleston, SC - In a strong show of support for the deepening of Charleston Harbor, the South Carolina Legislature now has committed $300 million to fund the construction of a post-45-foot harbor project for the Port of Charleston. This allocation would cover the entire estimated cost to deepen the harbor to 50 feet, once the project receives [...]

Continental Problems Resolved

FACILITY WILL MOVE FORWARD ON “AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE”
South Carolina officials are breathing a sigh of relief after contractor problems with the new Continental tire facility have reportedly been resolved. According to our sources, construction of the facility – which will reportedly create 1,700 new jobs over the coming decade – has begun on an “aggressive schedule” [...]

SC Ports Plans $147 Budget, 8 Percent Container Growth

Charleston Container Volume Up 10% in May
Charleston, SC - On the heels of a 10 percent increase in container volume last month, the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) Board today approved the most aggressive investment plan in the agency’s 70-year history, underscoring the anticipated growth of South Carolina’s ports from big ship traffic, the expansion of the [...]