Charleston is seeing bolstered access to South American markets, with South Carolina Ports now offering six weekly services to and from the region. This expansion includes Charleston’s recent addition to the CMA CGM AMERXL rotation, which provides Southeast shippers with enhanced access to major trade ports in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile. The fixed-day weekly service offers competitive transit times.
The AMERXL service specifically increases reefer capacity for importers, facilitating the transport of high-quality seafood, produce, and flowers from production-rich regions. For exporters, the service expands access to receiving markets for US protein. Greg Tyler, President and CEO of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, noted that this additional export capacity out of the Port of Charleston creates another gateway for US food and agricultural producers to access South America, helping US food products remain competitive globally.
This enhanced capacity aligns with the Southeast’s continued growth in population and GDP, with South Carolina surpassing the national average. SC Ports CEO Micah Mallace emphasized the importance of improved cold chain access for regional importers as the Southeast population expands. SC Ports offers efficient reefer handling services, over 2,000 reefer slots, and extensive cold storage facilities near the Port of Charleston.
Exporters using the AMERXL service benefit from increased access to key receiving markets for US protein, with southbound transit times ranging from 5 to 17 days. The port rotation for this service includes Port Everglades, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York, New York; Charleston, South Carolina; Cartagena, Colombia; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Callao, Peru; and San Antonio, Chile.
