Charleston Port (port code: USCHS) is the largest natural deep-water harbour on the Atlantic Coast, and the sixth biggest container port in the United States by cargo value. It is located on the estuaries where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers meet, in the centre of the US Eastern Seaboard in the State of South Carolina.
The port has 5 terminals and deals extensively with container traffic, general cargo and cruise passengers. It is also an excellent harbour of refuge. The harbour is naturally protected by barrier islands on either side of its wide entrance channel.
The port handles approximately 1.3 million TEUs annually. The major exports leaving the port include paper and paperboard, wood pulp, auto parts, logs and lumber, fabrics (including raw cotton), and general miscellaneous cargoes. The dominant imported cargoes entering the port are furniture; auto parts; sheets, blankets, and towels; fabrics; tires and tubes; apparel and footwear; household goods; and yarns.
The port’s largest terminal, Wando Welch Terminal, is one of the Nation's leading container terminals. Covering almost 280 hectares, the terminal contains 161 developed hectares and a 99.5-hectare container yard. The other one of the two container terminals of the port, the North Charleston Terminal, covers over 81 hectares, including 80 developed hectares and a 53-hectare container yard. The terminal offers over 19.6 thousand grounded container slots, 2319 wheeled slots, and 380 reefer slots.