NC Port Enhancements Benefit East Coast Freight Companies

Things are looking up at the Port of Wilmington.  And by “up,” we mean approximately 151 feet – the height of brand new neopanamax cranes you can now see at the port.  These cranes are just one component of the rapid and significant growth at the port, and just one of the ways that the port is enhancing its service offerings for East Coast freight companies.

NC Port Enhancements

The Port of Wilmington has just announced the acquisition of three new neopanamax cranes, which will bring the port’s total to seven.  These cranes enable the port to handle vessels that carry up to 14,000 TEUs and have the ability to unload two ships at the same time.  They can reach across 22 containers and handle stacks ten-units high.  The first two cranes are already on-site and will be up and running this summer, with the third expected to start operating in 2019.

This exciting news comes on the heels of the North Carolina Ports’ announcement regarding the record-setting pace of container volume.  A March statement revealed that “Container volume is currently up 31% in fiscal year 2018 and year to date volume in January and February is up 58%.”  All of this comes as welcome news to East Coast freight companies after a brief dip in volume related to the Hanjin bankruptcy.

The growth in container volume is spurred by new partnerships with major container company alliances, and by new partnerships with large shippers like ZIM Integrated Shipping, Ltd.  It is also a result of the port’s ongoing infrastructure enhancements in which over $200 million has been allocated for the following improvements (in addition to the new cranes):

• The recently-completed Turning Basin Expansion Project at the Port of Wilmington which widened the Basin from 1,200 feet to 1,400 feet to accommodate larger ships
• New intermodal capabilities including the brand-new Queen City Express which allows the transport of goods by rail between the Port of Wilmington and Charlotte
• Berth and container yard renovations to accommodate the larger ships

What is almost as impressive as the growth itself is the fact that the growth isn’t negatively impacting the port’s notoriously-quick truck turnaround times.  It still takes under 20 minutes from the time a truck enters the port to when it leaves with it’s freight.  This ease of access for port services is a major reason that the Port of Wilmington is favored by East Coast freight companies, whose trucks often wait for hours at other East Coast ports.

3PL Services for East Coast Freight Companies

With all the hustle and bustle at the Port of Wilmington, it’s important to have a logistics provider nearby that can handle your warehousing and distribution needs.  Kanban Logistics offers one-million square feet of Eastern North Carolina warehouse space to support the distribution of imports to manufacturers and retailers.

Additional port services and features include:

• Drayage – Kanban will arrange drayage service and ensure your containers return to the port without demurrage fees
• Foreign trade zone – Kanban’s Rocky Mount, NC warehouse is an active foreign trade zone, which allows you to defer duty payments

• Top-tier WMS systems with RF scanning
• Certification of all facilities to the ISO 9001:2015 quality standard
• Food-grade warehousing with superior ratings by AIB International
• Direct rail siding – CSX TransFLO premier provider

To learn more about Kanban’s services for East Coast freight companies, contact us today