Supply Chain Research

The Port of Charleston reported 2% increase in container handling for 2016 after a 14% improvement in December on a year earlier. Exports climbed 17% in December, the fastest growth since February 2015, while imports increased 7%, the eighth straight increase. Imports from China, including those via the Panama Canal, look to be the main driver, with a 27% jump in December. Future growth depends on channel dredging, which might be partly financed by the Trump administration’s new infrastructure plan.