A Record Year for N.C. Ports Bodes Well for Anson County’s Future

On a macro level, Anson County’s economy is most closely aligned with that of Charlotte. Our western border is only 40 miles from the intersection of Trade and Tyron, and the Monroe Expressway will bring the drive from Uptown Wadesboro to Uptown Charlotte to well under an hour. That does not mean, however, that Charlotte is our only economic driver. As the Port of Wilmington expands it presence and importance on the eastern seaboard, it, too, will become an important element of our economic story. And that’s why Monday’s announcement that the port had a record year for container shipments comes as fantastic news for Anson County.

During the port’s fiscal year 2018, which ended June 30, N.C. Ports reported a record 38 percent year-over-year growth in the number of containers that moved through the Port of Wilmington. Port officials credited truck turn times and high crane productivity rates for the record, but the larger reality is increased investment at the port has made it more competitive with the other large southeast terminals; Norfolk, Charleston and Savannah. Specifically, the investment in on-dock cold storage  space at the Port of Wilmington has tripled its refrigerated container business since 2014 and there are now 17 shipping carriers calling the port compared to six in the 2017.

Port officials expect the record-setting growth to continue, as an ongoing $200 million in infrastructure improvements are brought online. Two new neo-Panamax cranes were delivered in March with a third arriving in 2019 to compliment ongoing berth renovations and container yard expansion.

Anson County stands to be one of the prime beneficiaries of the success at the Port of Wilmington. As a key link in the rail and highway connection between Wilmington and Charlotte, the county is strategically positioned as Charlotte’s “Atlantic Gateway.