Supply Chain Research

Container handling through South Carolina’s ports, including Charleston, dropped 1% on a year earlier in August. That was the first drop since September 2016. It was the result in part of a 0.4% drop in exports – though lower empty container handling dropped faster (8%) and imports were hardly stellar (1% higher). When added to the results from other U.S. ports it’s likely that seaborne export container handling fell by 5%. That was the first decline since July 2016 and the fastest slide since January 2015. When combined with rising imports at the national level it could lead to a higher...