Maersk Line commits to Charleston

The new contract runs to December 31, 2014, and is the culmination of several months of negotiations. Maersk took note of its “long, successful relationship” with the SCSPA and said the new agreement “places Maersk Line’s cost structure in Charleston on a level playing field with other ocean carriers who use the port.” Maersk which has had a presence in the Port of Charleston for more than 50 years operates a dedicated facility on the Wando Welch terminal.

In other news, the SCSPA’s board of directors has adopted the first major update to the agency’s strategic plan in several years. The plan highlights Charleston’s harbour depth capacity, refines the ports authority’s mission, and points to several areas of focus in the coming years.

The objective of the strategic planning process that began in February was to set a clear direction and strategic priorities for addressing the ports authority’s market and competitive challenges and opportunities. The plan was developed with the input of customers, stakeholders, the maritime community and elected officials through interviews with the planning team. In addition to refining the SCSPA’s mission statement, the process entailed detailed assessments of the competitive, industry, market, economic and financial environment.