b'48American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(CREATEScontinued fromingInlandPortGreerand page 44) building the rail-served Navy SCPortshandledalmost2.5BaseIntermodalFacilityto millionTEUsand1.4millionprovidemorerailcapacityin piercontainersinFY24,withthe Southeast port market and cargovolumesup7percentfurther support our customers over2023.Inaddition,recordsupply chains.cargovolumeswereachievedTo help alleviate the demands attheWandoWelchTerminal,of rail-transported cargo, the NBIF as well as at Inland Port Greerwill offer increased efficiency for andInlandPortDillon,whereintermodalcargotransportation combinedcargovolumeswerewith a related decrease in supply up24percentfromtheprevi- chain delays.ous year. These impressive statsTheNavyBaseIntermo-are anticipated to increase evendalFacilityisanear-dockrail more with the available propertyfacility(adjacenttoSCPorts for construction, as well as withLeatherman Terminal), that will theopeningoftheNavyBasefeature six rail-mounted gantry IntermodalFacility(NBIF)incranes,7,000-8,000feetof summer of 2025. linear rail track, and be capable AccordingtoaSCPortsof one million rail lifts each year. spokesperson,ApproximatelyThis facility will be dual-served 20-25%ofSCPortscontainerby class one railroads CSX and As growth continues in cold chain cargo transportation, NC Ports continues its efforts to keep pace with growingvolume moves by rail. Currently,Norfolk Southern, and connects demands from the shipping industry.thetopthreecontainerexportCharleston to the broader South-commodities are chemicals, for- east market. This is a more effi-(STRENGTHENcontinuedare a number of factors contrib- ability to increase that numberestry products, and agriculturalcient, lower-carbon option, that from page 46) utingtoNorthCarolinaPortsas we expand the Port of Wilm- products.Despitea2percentmoves goods off the dock and said,Oneofourcorevaluescold chain growth. The Port ofingtonscontainerterminal.decrease in total U.S. exports into the consumers more quickly, is safety, and our team is com- Wilmington is unique in that itOutside of our gates, a signifi- 2023,SouthCarolinasexportsaid a SC Ports spokesperson.mitted to ensuring safety is firsthas an equal balance of importscantnewcoldstoragefacilitysalesincreasedby18%fromAs a way of addressing truck-in everything we do and everyandexports.Thismeanstheis set to come online less than a2022. We continue to see growthing capacity as more cargo contin-decisionwemake.Wehaverepositioningofemptyequip- mile away from port gates in lateinimportedhomegoodsandues to flow through SC Ports, the built a safety-focused culture byment,whichisoftenrequiredSeptember.Thefirstphaseoffresh and frozen foods for megainner-harbor barge operation will always seeking opportunities forto serve supply chains via otherthis facility will bring 298,000retailers as the regions popula- support the Navy Base Intermo-continuousimprovement.Forports,isnotnecessaryinthissquarefeetofmulti-suitecoldtion increases. dal Facility by moving containers example,wehaveoptimizedmarket.NorthCarolinahasastoragespacetothemarket.Melvinnoted,Ourrail- between Wando Welch Terminal ourterminalandcargoflowrobust agriculture industry withAnothersignificantnear-portserved inland ports have seenandLeathermanTerminalviaa design, and will continue to dostrongexportssuchassweetcoldstoragefacilityopenedtremendousgrowththispastdesignated marine highway.so, to ensure it creates the safestpotatoes and frozen proteins. earlierthisyearandisoper- year as more customers move(CREATEScontinued on environmentpossibleforourHecontinued,OntheatedbyPerformanceTeam,acargo by rail. We are expand- page 50)employees,portpartners,andimportside,severallargegro- Maersk company. This facility is port users. ceryretailersanddistribu- 285,000 square feet. Joint efforts torshaveidentifiedthePortwithcoldchainpartnersand c olDc haIng rowth a ofWilmingtonasanefficientgovernment agencies, including h ott oPIc Innc alternative to some of the tradi- Customs and Border Protection Amongthevarioustypestional cold chain gateways to theand USDA, have been essential of cargo arriving and departingnorth and south. This has led toincreatingaseamlesson-port from both ports in North Caro- an increase of import produce,inspection process.lina,statisticsshowapproxi- both with established programsb ettert rackIngg Ivesmately 80 percent is transportedincludingbananas,pineapples, viatruck.Whenaskedaboutandblueberries,andnewtrialI nDustrys omethIng tos eathe kinds of commodities trans- programs,includingapples,Offeringasuggestionfor ported,Clarkreported,Wemelons, and additional tropicalanewtechnologyordigital have a broad mix of cargo com- fruits and vegetables. The Portadvancementthatwouldben-moditiesandabalancedmixof Wilmington is also servicingefitthefutureoftheshipping ofcontainerizedandgeneralNorthCarolinasgrowinglifeindustry,Clarkassertedthat cargo. Our cargo mix includessciences industry. moreattentiontoend-to-end agricultureproducts,industrialClarkadded,Therehasvisibility would be an industry products,buildingmaterials,beensignificantcoldchainimprovement.paper and fiber, apparel and tex- investmentinsideandoutsideHepointedout,Advanc-tiles, furniture and home goods,the Port of Wilmingtons gates.ingstandardizedvesseland appliances,rubber,andfreshOn terminal, we now offer more(STRENGTHENcontinuedSC Ports is adding rail infrastructure and cargo capacity at both the Port of produce. than 1,500 reefer plugs with theon page 50) Charleston terminals and rail-served inland ports. NCPortsreported,The Ports of Wilmington and More-headCitymovedatotalof almost4.2millionshorttons of bulk and breakbulk cargo in FY24,finishingtheyear5% over budget. Both ports handled substantialvolumesofnatural rubber,steel,lumber,cement, woodchipsandwoodpellets, supportingeverythingfrom U.S.infrastructure,aerospace, and the regions growing auto-motive industry.Asgrowthcontinuesin coldchaincargotransporta-tion,NCPortscontinuesits efforts to keep pace with grow-ing demands from the shipping industry.Thishasledtoan increase in the amount of pro-duceitemsimported,aswell as an increase in the number of new trial programs that, if suc-cessful,mayservetosolidify confidence in the ports ability tohandlesensitiverefrigerated cargo,whiledeliveringsignifi-cantcostsavingsandsupply chain advantages.Whenconsideringthefac-tors that are contributing to the cold chain growth in North Car-olina,Clarkexplained,There'