South Carolina Ports Authority

The South Carolina Ports Authority owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, as well as Inland Ports in Greer, South Carolina and Dillon, South Carolina. Established by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1942,[1] it is authorized and charged with promoting, developing, constructing, equipping, maintaining and operating the harbors and seaports within the State of South Carolina.

South Carolina Ports Authority
AbbreviationSCPA
Formation1942
TypeOwner/operator
HeadquartersMt. Pleasant, South Carolina
President & CEO
James I. Newsome, III
Websitewww.scspa.com

An economic development engine for the State, the South Carolina Ports Authority handles international commerce valued at more than $75 billion annually[2] while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy. According to a 2019 economic impact study conducted by the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business, port operations facilitate 224,963 jobs across South Carolina (one in every 10 jobs) paying 32% higher than the state's average wage. The study attributes nearly $63 billion in annual statewide economic activity to port operations.[3]

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) was created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1942 by Act No. 626 (Title 54 - Ports and Maritime Matters in South Carolina Code of Laws) as an instrumentality of the State possessing the powers of a body corporate.[4]

Description of Operations

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) owns public port and transportation facilities in Charleston, North Charleston, Charleston County, Georgetown and Greer, South Carolina. The largest facilities are located in Charleston, where the SCPA operates five major ocean terminals capable of handling breakbulk and container shipments in addition to passenger vessels. All of SCPA's container terminal facilities are located at the Port of Charleston, where the primary focus is the movement of containerized shipments to and from the vessels calling the port.

The Georgetown facility serves as a bulk and breakbulk facility. A previously run breakbulk facility in Port Royal facility was closed and transferred to the S.C. Department of Administration in 2016 to be sold.

The role of the SCPA is as a terminal operator serving as receiver of export cargo from inland carriers and a receiver and dispatcher of import cargo. The SCPA is an operating port, as distinguished from a landlord port. The majority of the cargo and virtually all of the container cargo passing through the SCPA's facilities is bound for or originates from international destinations. In addition to national economic conditions, major factors affecting the SCPA's cargo volumes include global economic trends, currency exchange rates with overseas trading partners and consumer demand in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.

Facilities
See also: Economy of South Carolina

Port of Charleston

The South Carolina Ports Authority owns and operates five public marine terminals in the Port of Charleston. These facilities handle both containerized and non-containerized cargo, as well as cruise passengers. A sixth facility - the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal - is a new container terminal at the former Charleston Navy Base under construction, with plans to open in 2021.

Port of Georgetown

A dedicated non-container port handling bulk and breakbulk cargo, the Port of Georgetown is located along the Sampit River adjacent to the Georgetown Steel Mill. the Port of Georgetown handles top commodities of steel, cement, aggregates, and forest products.

Inland Port Greer

Opened November 2013, the South Carolina Inland Port in Greer, SC extended the reach of the port more than 200 miles into the state's interior. Connected to the Port of Charleston via overnight rail offered by the Norfolk Southern, the inland port handles containerized goods to and from the fastest-growing part of the Southeast - the I-85 corridor.

Inland Port Dillon

Officials broke ground on Inland Port Dillon on March 10, 2017, and officially opened in April 2018. Located within the Carolinas I-95 Mega Site, Inland Port Dillon has close proximity to I-95, a critical transportation artery in the Southeast. The area is central to a significant base of existing Port users that represent base cargo opportunities for the facility. The initial phase is expected to handle at least 45,000 containers annually, offering overnight access to and from the Port of Charleston via an existing CSX mainline.[5]

Economic Impact

A 2019 study by the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business concluded that the SCPA's statewide impacts include:[6]

  • $63.4 billion in annual economic activity
  • 224,963 jobs
  • $12.8 billion in labor income
  • 10.2 percent of total annual gross state product
  • $1.1 billion in tax revenue

Capital Investment Plan

South Carolina Ports Authority plans to invest $1.6 billion in new and existing facilities through Fiscal Year 2022. The funding for the capital plan will be internally generated based on the Ports Authority's ability to borrow (in the form of revenue bonds) as well as its operating revenues. Additionally, the State of South Carolina has committed approximately $800 million in funding for port-related infrastructure projects in the works. These projects include a new dual-rail served container staging yard in North Charleston, a port access road tying the Ports Authority's new container terminal to I-26, as well as the state share of construction cost ($300 million) of the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project.[7]

Governance

The South Carolina Ports Authority is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors, each appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, along with two non-voting, ex-officio members - the state Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Transportation. They serve terms of seven years or until their successors have been appointed and qualified. A Review and Oversight Commission on the South Carolina State Ports Authority (ROCSPA), composed of members of the South Carolina General Assembly, was established in 2009. Despite its status as a public agency dedicated to the economic development of the State of South Carolina, the Ports Authority does not receive direct appropriations from the state for capital or operations expenses. Instead, the Ports Authority operates like a private business, and funds its operations and investment efforts through its own revenue stream and ability to issue bonds.[8]

Leadership

Since its founding in 1942, the South Carolina Ports Authority has only had five leaders.

  • Cotesworth P. Means, General Manager (1949 - 1961)
  • Capers G. Barr, General Manager (1961 - 1971)
  • W. Donald Welch, Executive Director (1971 - 1996)
  • Bernard S. Groseclose, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer (1997 - 2009)
  • James I. Newsome, III, President and Chief Executive Officer (2009 - Current)[9]
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References
  1. SC Code of Laws Title 54
  2. "Cargo Value". SC Ports Authority. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  3. "S.C. Ports Economic Impact". SC Ports Authority. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  4. "Code of Laws Title 54 Ports and Maritime Matters". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  5. SC Ports Breaks Ground on Inland Port Dillon
  6. "S.C. Ports Economic Impact". SC Ports Authority. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  7. "Capital Plan". SC Ports Authority. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  8. SC Code of Laws Title 54
  9. Hassell, III, John F. (2017). Imagine What Tomorrow Holds. United State of America: Evening Post Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-929647-34-7.
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