Intermodal Briefs: SC Ports, IANA
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
South Carolina Ports Authority’s rail-served inland ports continue to see strong volumes, serving as key connections between inland markets and the Port of Charleston.(Photo/SCPA/English Purcell)
South Carolina Ports Authority’s (SC Ports) rail-served Inland Port Greer handles record cargo in August. Also, the University of North Texas (UNT) notches another win in the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) case study competition.
SC Ports
SC Ports on Sept. 19 reported that Inland Port Greer handled 16,857 rail moves—the most in its history and a 52% increase year-over-year.
Inland Port Greer is between the Charlotte and Atlanta markets in upstate South Carolina. Norfolk Southern moves cargo to and from the inland port for advanced manufacturers, automotive companies, solar panel producers and retailers. (SC Ports in 2022 completed the first phase of a $30 million-plus capacity expansion project at Inland Port Greer.)
SC Ports’ Inland Port Dillon, along the North Carolina border and served by CSX, handled 3,439 rail moves in August, an 83% increase from the prior-year period.
“SC Ports’ rail-served inland ports create more reliability, flexibility and speed for our customers’ supply chains,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said. “Our incredibly successful inland port network reinforces the importance of providing near-port rail to the Port of Charleston with the new Navy Base Intermodal Facility, which is on track to open in 2025.”
SC Ports said it handled 203,169 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) and 111,745 pier containers in August, down 9% year-over-year, and noted that the “U.S. port industry is anticipating a slower peak season than typical, due to a lower consumer appetite and tempered U.S. economy.”
According to SC Ports, the vehicle segment remained “strong” with 17,876 vehicles moving through the Port of Charleston in August, up 9% year-over-year.
IANA
UNT for the third consecutive year has placed No. 1 in IANA’s Intermodal Case Study Competition. The win in 2023 was the university’s fifth since 2014, IANA reported Sept. 15.
Mateo Inofuentes, Jared Kalata and Regan Weaver handled this year’s case, “The IPI Conundrum,” addressing the issues of cargo diversions from Southwest ports, a changing mix of transloads vs. loads moving intact, and competition from over-the-road truckers.
The other competing schools were California State Maritime Academy, College of Charleston, Georgia Southern University and the universities of Arkansas, Maryland, North Florida and Wisconsin at Superior.
“While winning is the goal, the true reward is the process, of collaboration with team members and of developing relationships with fellow competitors, faculty, and industry representatives,” said David Nowicki, Director of UNT’s Center for Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
“All of the student teams came with their A-game and tackled an issue that intermodal operators deal with every day,” IANA President and CEO Joni Casey said. “They should be proud of their work.”
Since 2011, the competition has allowed undergraduate students from IANA’s 10 Scholarship Award schools to apply their logistics and transportation curriculum to real-world intermodal issues and showcase their understanding of global and domestic intermodal supply chains, according to IANA.
