Politics & Government
Container Traffic Up, Port Deepening Project On Track
Container traffic through the Port of Charleston 11 percent in February, and a feasibility study on increasing the depth of Charleston Harbor for post-Panamax ships is nearing the half-way point
Charleston Harbor continues to be one of the main engines driving the Palmetto State's economy.
While the unemployment rate in the state rose a tenth of a percent in January, container traffic through the Port of Charleston has shown steady growth over the past year. The container volume was more than 11 percent higher through the first eight months of the current fiscal year than in the previous year, ABCNews4 reports.
State Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome made the announcement during a board meeting Monday and noted that February 2013 was the 12th straight month of year over year growth in container volume for the port.
Find out what's happening in Charlestonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Prior to announcing the increased port traffic, Newsome was joined by Sen. Lindsey Graham and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Col. Ed Chamberlayne to detail the status of the Corps' Charleston Harbor deepening project.
The Corps is currently approximately half-way through the feasibility study for the project and is ahead of schedule in several areas, Chamberlayne reported. The project is currently fully funded and on an aggressive timetable.
Find out what's happening in Charlestonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.