Performance Team – A Maersk Company has unveiled plans for a new cold storage facility in Charleston, South Carolina, which will open in the first quarter of 2023.
“We have been evaluating South Atlantic cold chain market opportunities for the past three years – and this opportunity stood out in a strong way for a number of good reasons,” said Mike Meierkort, head of logistics and services for Maersk North America.
“The South Atlantic is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation and we see lots of business opportunities – thanks to a competitive port that we can connect our logistics and services to with all our brands here Maersk, Hamburg Sud and Sealand. We see the Port of Charleston as a fast-growing deepwater port that has expanded to meet future growth with strong CEO leadership in Barbara Melvin and this has influenced our investment, site selection and long-term plans,” he added.
It should be noted that Charleston is a very concentrated port from a commodity perspective, with protein and frozen fruit/vegetables accounting for 77% of all reefer food volume in 2021.
“South Carolina Ports has the capacity to support more refrigerated and frozen goods, and we look forward to growing the cold chain business segment together,” pointed out South Carolina Ports Authority CEO Barbara Melvin.
Strong population growth near Charleston is expected to give importers the incentive to increase imports of both fresh and frozen products.
“We will have a 20,000 square foot repack room designated for value-added service to the retail sector. We will be a one stop shop for the temperature-controlled products going to the grocery sector,” highlighted Diogo Lobo, head of cold chain logistics and services for Maersk North America.
