The Port of Charleston

Cited by customers as the most productive container port in the world, and ranked first in customer satisfaction across North America by readers of World Trade and Cargo Business News magazines, the Port of Charleston is a powerful magnet for manufacturing and distribution companies.
  • Sixth largest U.S. container port by cargo value – $61 billion in goods move through the port annually
  • Serves 40 steamship lines, including all top 20 carriers
  • Serves more than 150 countries worldwide
  • Only port in the Southeast that can efficiently handle post-Panamax vessels up to 8,000 TEU
  • Handles nearly 2 million TEUs annually
  • New three-berth, 280-acre container terminal scheduled to open in 2013
  • Approximately 20 million square feet of prime class A industrial distribution centers currently in development in the Port of Charleston market
To view port terminal locations, visit our Map Center or Intermodal Transportation page. 		related information

Efficiency & ProductivityTechnologyGeography & Trade Routes

Port Efficiency & Productivity

  • In 2007, the Port of Charleston handled 1.75 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
  • With deep, wide channels and a short traveling distance, Charleston's facilities allow ships to spend minimal time in-port.
  • Charleston is one of only a handful of ports to have received the Presidential "E" and "E-Star" awards for excellence in exporting.
  • The Port of Charleston is recognized worldwide as an efficiency leader and was named by shipping giant Maersk as the most productive in the world.
  • Average crane lifts per hour per crane top 40 moves, and trucker turn times average 20 minutes at all common use gates.


Port Technology

  • The Port uses the ORION computer system to expedite the cargo clearance process (most cleared up to three days prior to arrival).
  • The Port's Yard Management System provides up-to-date information on cargo shipments and more effectively makes use of the port's container yards.
  • Several kinds of security technology are in place at the Port of Charleston:
    • Radiation Portal Monitors scan 100% of containers leaving the terminal
    • VACIS machines screen targeted cargo on-site
    • The new OmniView Gantry X-ray Inspection System - the only one of its kind in use for commercial screening at ports - provides further screening capabilities for port security officials.

Geography & Trade Routes

  • Charleston's port terminals are closer to the open sea than any competing port by a significant margin.
  • Northern Europe and Asia are the Port's top markets, combining for 53% of total volume, but more than 150 countries in all are served directly from the port's docks.
  • Although shippers in two dozen states use Charleston to access international customers and suppliers, 45% of tonnage and about one-third of containers are related to South Carolina firms.

Percentage of Total Volume - 2006

North Europe 33.0%
Northeast Asia 20.0%
India & Other Asia 11.0%
Mediterranean 7.1%
South America East 6.5%
South America West 4.2%
Africa 4.1%
Central America 3.6%
Middle East 3.5%
Southeast Asia 3.0%
East Europe 2.9%
Caribbean 0.5%
Oceania 0.5%
Canada 0.1
Source: South Carolina State Ports Authority, 10/2008