NC Ports Named Top 16 U.S. Container Port

JOC Staff |
September 10, 2010 (Wilmington, NC) – Data from the global trade and logistics publication, The Journal of Commerce (JOC), ranks North Carolina’s ports as Top 16 in U.S imports and Top 18 among U.S. exports. Export volumes at NC’s ports increased 47.2% over fiscal year 2008-2009 while import volumes increased 26.3% over that same time period.

The latest data from PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions, a sister company of The Journal of Commerce, was recently released for fiscal year 2009-2010 listing the latest rankings for U.S container ports based on market share.

“For some, including Seattle, New Orleans and North Carolina, the recovery is looking like a capital ‘V’,” wrote Peter Leac! h of the JOC.

“North Carolina ports, which had the biggest increase in both imports and exports over the period, benefited from new services from Maersk Line and Independent Container Lines, which switched trans-Atlantic calls there from Richmond,” continued Mr. Leach in the September 6, 2010 article, “For U.S. Ports, Recovery is a Mixed Bag”.

Both Independent Container Line, Ltd. (ICL) and Maersk began service at the Port of Wilmington in March 2009. ICL provides weekly service between Wilmington, NC, and north Europe and the United Kingdom. The Danish container shipping company, Maersk Line, connects Wilmington with its weekly service to Puerto Cortes, Honduras and Santo Tomas, Guatemala in northern Central America.

“The container volume growth experienced at the Port of Wilmington is a direct result of North Carolina businesses taking advantage of lower logistics costs and benefitting from the two new servi! ces added in 2009,” said NC State Ports Authority CEO Tom Eagar.

In May of this year, The Journal of Commerce ranked the North Carolina ports the top 25th overall North American container port based on calendar year 2009 data. The JOC characterized the Port of Wilmington as ‘perhaps the biggest success story’.