North Carolina State Ports Authority Reports 28% Increase in Container Moves for the First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2010
November 23, 2009
Although global shipping industry experts are not predicting significant recovery for another 12 to 18 months, the North Carolina State Ports Authority is experiencing double-digit growth in its container shipping volumes.
During the annual “State of the Ports” address on November 17 to over 100 people at the Cape Fear Chapter, NC World Trade Association, luncheon meeting in Wilmington, Ports Authority CEO Thomas J. Eagar reported a 28% increase in container moves for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 over the same period last year.
Eagar attributed the growth to the increases realized by two new container shipping services that began in March 2009: Maersk Shipping’s weekly calls between the Port of Wilmington and Central America, and Independent Container Line’s weekly calls between Wilmington, northern Europe and the United Kingdom. He also said that Wilmington’s two weekly trans-Pacific services are experiencing good volumes, too.
The ports’ general cargo volumes, particularly as related to the housing, construction, and automotive industries, have continued to decline as demand remains slow for goods and housing. Eagar said that lumber volumes, for example, have dropped 90% among all U.S. East Coast ports, and 56% at North Carolina’s ports. To address these fluctuating cargo volumes, the Ports Authority has continued aggressive cost containment measures that have been in place for nearly 3 years.
The Ports Authority’s focus on port infrastructure development includes seeking grant funding to resume the reconstruction of one of the Port of Wilmington’s container berths to extend the capabilities of the 100-foot gauge container cranes. Eagar also said that preliminary plans are progressing for development of a new container terminal, the NC International Terminal in Brunswick County, approximately 20 miles south of the Port of Wilmington and 4 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun the reconnaissance study for the deepening of the navigation channel to the NCIT, while the NC Department of Transportation is conducting a feasibility study for highway transportation to serve the new terminal.
