Last week, The S.C. Ports Authority broke ground on the state's newest inland port. The port, located in Dillon off of I-95, is expected to open in early 2018. When opened, the facility is expected to handle 45,000 containers annually.
Governor Henry McMaster spoke to the importance of the industry for the state's economy and employment. "Our ports are a tremendously important part of South Carolina's growing economic engine, and Inland Port Dillon will play a crucial role in helping our companies move goods more efficiently than ever. This new facility will mean even more jobs and industry, and help take our state straight to the top."
Jim Newsome, President and CEO of the SCPA, said, "Inland Port Dillon will diversify SCPA's footprint and enable port users to gain logistics efficiencies through rail transportation of their cargo. Inland ports provide infrastructure in the interior of the state that supports the movement of freight to and from our marine terminals. Our facilities in Dillon and Greer are important to SCPA's overall volume growth and the significant amount of cargo that moves today by rail."
Since 2001, international intermodal rail lifts have increased 170%. Over 100,000 rail lifts were seen last year at the Greer port. Twenty-three percent of the Port of Charleston's import and export containers now move by rail.
