South Carolina’s supply chain infrastructure is expanding — what to know

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Alongside rail partners and support from state leaders, SC Ports is investing in rail capacity throughout the state to handle goods for South Carolina’s growing economy, according to a news release.

Construction of the future Navy Base Intermodal Facility is well underway in North Charleston, the release stated. Opening in July 2025, the rail-served cargo facility will be equipped with six rail-mounted gantry cranes that will efficiently move containers on and off CSX and Norfolk Southern trains.

“Growing rail capacity in the Port of Charleston will further enhance South Carolina’s competitiveness, ensuring our customers can swiftly move goods to market,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said in the release.

In Upstate South Carolina, the expansion of Inland Port Greer has already yielded more than 8,000 feet of additional rail track, and the container yard expansion is nearing completion, the release stated. These terminal enhancements will double Inland Port Greer’s cargo capacity.

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“We move nearly a quarter of our containers by rail today. We look forward to growing this percentage by building critical rail infrastructure and terminal capacity in South Carolina,” Melvin said. “These projects will further support the billions of dollars being invested in South Carolina by port-dependent businesses.”

While total U.S. container volume declined in 2023, SC Ports’ intermodal volume increased nearly 12% last year, the release stated.

SC Ports’ RapidRail program expedites containers between ship and train, with imports moving to rail less than 24 hours from actual vessel discharge, the release stated.

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SC Ports’ Inland Port Greer and Inland Port Dillon achieved the highest January on record, moving a combined 17,656 containers last month, according to the release. The inland ports provide direct rail service to and from the Port of Charleston.

Within SC Ports’ container terminals at the Port of Charleston, SC Ports handled 208,538 TEUs and 115,744 pier containers in January, the release stated. This is down slightly from last year and reflective of the softened volumes seen across the U.S.

January was a strong month for the vehicle segment, with 17,614 vehicles rolling across the docks, up 32% year-over-year, according to the release.