The North Carolina State Ports Authority is an authority set up by the state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

to develop and operate

seaports A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

in Wilmington and

Morehead City Morehead City is a port town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast. Hist ...

as well as an inland port located in Charlotte.

History

In 1923 North Carolina Governor Cameron Morrison became interested in establishing official port facilities for the state and pushed for the creation of the State Ship and Water Transportation Commission to study the matter. The body produced a report which recommended that the state government fund the development of port facilities. The following year it was replaced by the Ports Commission, which was supposed to oversee the work. A statewide bond referendum for $8.7 million to develop the facilities failed to pass in November 1924, and the commission disbanded. Despite this, the coastal cities of Wilmington and

pursued their efforts to improve port facilities, and the North Carolina General Assembly incorporated the Morehead City Port Commission in 1933 and the Wilmington Port Commission in 1935. The General Assembly established the North Carolina State Ports Authority in 1945 to develop and improve harbors at Wilmington, Morehead City,

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

, and other coastal areas. Improvements began in 1949, and new piers and storage areas were completed in 1952. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the authority oversaw a $440 million project to deepen the Cape Fear River shipping channel and purchased Radio Island in Morehead City.

Facilities

Port of Wilmington

The Port of Wilmington offers terminal facilities serving container, bulk, breakbulk, and ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) operations. It offers a deep 42-foot navigational channel, nine berths, four post-Panamax, and three neo-Panamax container cranes. Modern transit and warehouse facilities and the latest cargo management technology produce a broad platform for supporting international trade.

Port of Morehead City

The Port of Morehead City is a breakbulk and bulk facility located four miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The port is equipped with nine berths and multiple gantry cranes. Storage offerings include a dry-bulk facility with a 220,000-ton capacity warehouse and a 177,000-square-foot warehouse for housing commodities like rubber, paper, steel, and lumber. Altogether there are more than one million square feet of storage.

Charlotte Inland Port

The Charlotte inland port is a 20-acre

dry port A dry port (sometimes referred to as an inland port) is an inland intermodal terminal directly connected by road or rail to a seaport, operating as a centre for the transshipment of sea cargo to inland destinations. In addition to their role in ...

site located along the CSX rail lines near the intersection of

NC 16 North Carolina Highway 16 (NC 16) is a 143.8-mile (231.4 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling in a north–south direction, it connects the cities and towns of Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte ...

and I-85. It serves as a distribution point for intermodal containers connecting the I-85 and I-77 corridors to the CSX rail line and the Port of Wilmington.

Governance

An 11-member of Board of Directors governs the North Carolina State Ports Authority. Of the Board, six members are appointed by the Governor, the North Carolina General Assembly appoints four, and the North Carolina Secretary of Transportation fills the last position. North Carolina Ports is a corporate body receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy.

Leadership

* Brian E. Clark - Executive Director * Doug Vogt - Chief Operating Officer * Hans Bean - Chief Commercial Officer * Alherd Kazura - Chief Financial Officer * Laura Blair - Vice President of Administration and External Affairs * John Dittmar - Director of Safety and Security

References

External links

Official Site
{{Authority control Ports Authority Port authorities in the United States Wilmington, North Carolina