The South Carolina Port of Charleston Tuesday reported a 26 percent increase in container volume last month over the same month last year.
July was the port's strongest month since October 2008, noted Port officials. Shipping container volume totaled 73,818 pier containers, up 26 percent from 58,603 pier containers in July 2009.
While this was the fifth month of double-digit growth, the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) officials reported that it is unclear if the national and global economy is truly on the rebound and can be sustained, or if recent increases are more of a reflection of inventory restocking and other short-term drivers.
The SCSPA also reported final results for the fiscal year that ended June 30. During FY2010, the SCSPA surpassed its volume budget, thanks to a strong last half of the year when container traffic increased 19 percent. In addition, despite the toughest economy in recent history, the SCSPA posted positive operating earnings when a number of ports endured financial losses for the year.