Posted on January 21, 2026
MOUNT PLEASANT — The Port of Charleston is largely bucking national trends with cargo levels that are roughly flat year over year, despite tariffs and global trade uncertainties, port officials said Tuesday.
A total of 689,350 cargo containers of all sizes moved through the port’s terminals during the first six months of the 2026 fiscal year, which started July 1. That compares to 692,770 containers during the same July-through-December period a year earlier.
Byron Miller, chief commercial officer for the S.C. State Ports Authority, said the average cargo decline at all U.S. ports is projected at 4%. The National Retail Federation has a better outlook, predicting the nation’s ports will see only a slight, less than 1 percent, decline for 2025.
“So, in sum, 2025 was a year of great uncertainty,” Miller told the authority’s board of directors. “Many shippers deferred decisions on new facilities and new investments. However, we are very encouraged by the latter part of the year.”
Within the past 90 days, for example, a pair of major port customers — First Solar and the Cosco retail chain — announced plans for a combined $570.3 million in new or expanded South Carolina facilities.
And four industrial buildings were leased in the Charleston market during the fourth quarter, taking 2 million square feet of space off the market with customers that will add 25,000 containers a year to the port’s total.
“December was not only an active month but a very productive month commercially for the port,” Miller said. “While the outcome may remain a little bit muted for 2026 for trade volumes, this gives us great reason to be encouraged about what lies ahead in our market.”
Micah Mallace, the authority’s president and CEO, said in a news release that the agency is “preparing to see weaker volumes continue into 2026 but remain hopeful that the industry will stabilize some time next year.”
Southeast ports, like Charleston’s, were largely able to blunt tariff and other impacts due to a growing population that has fueled the region’s economy. The Port of Savannah, which hasn’t yet reported December totals, was on target to notch a slight increase in cargo for 2025.
Other ports saw their cargo levels fall.
The Port of Virginia, for example, recorded an 8 % drop. All told, the retail group said national cargo levels are expected to trail year-over-year numbers at least through this spring.
The first few months of the year are typically slow for ports nationwide, and there is uncertainty over how the rest of 2026 will play out.
“As 2026 begins, we see a world increasingly focused on protecting domestic industries and addressing perceived trade imbalances,” Ben Hackett, founder of maritime industry consultant Hackett Associates, said in a written statement. “This approach has raised questions about the future of free trade and international economic cooperation.”
Jonathan Gold, the retail federation’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy, said retailers are hoping for more stability.
“Especially regarding tariffs and trade policy … to help ensure better supply chain operations to meet consumer needs,” Gold said in a statement.
In addition to the updated cargo outlook, the authority is winding down its cruise ship business at Union Pier Terminal in downtown Charleston ahead of selling the property to Lowcountry developer and businessman Ben Navarro.
The authority’s cruise calendar shows eight vessels will make 26 port-of-call visits to Union Pier through July 4, with no further cruise ships scheduled beyond Independence Day. That will bring an end to regular cruise ship visits that began in 2010 with Carnival Cruise Line offering year-round journeys. Carnival left the Charleston market at the end of 2024.
Navarro’s Marti Holdings LLC plans to redevelop the roughly 65-acre Union Pier site, located between Concord Street and Charleston Harbor, beginning in 2027.
