Print
Maritime

Rouzer Visits Port Of Wilmington, Supports Channel Dredging

By Jenny Callison, posted Aug 20, 2021
U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., visits the Port of Wilmington on Friday. (Photo by Jenny Callison)
Growth and activity at the Port of Wilmington were on full display Friday as the site hosted a visit from U.S. Rep. David Rouzer,  R-N.C..

Accompanied by N.C. Ports officials, he watched as a German post-Panamax ship unloaded and took on cargo containers. He saw evidence of expansion in the many construction projects underway at the port complex.
 
Rouzer’s tour of the port was the last stop on a trip through his district during Congress’s annual August recess. He praised the recent federal allocation of $500,000 to finance a series of environmental studies required for the port’s proposed channel dredging project.

Those studies are a part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, which, if it gives the green light to the dredging project, would allow the Port of Wilmington to welcome larger, heavier vessels.
 
“For this port to remain competitive, it has to [handle] larger ships,” Rouzer said.
 
Dredging would deepen the navigational channel from its current 42 feet to 47 feet. While a 5-foot increase in depth may not seem like much, said the Ports’ Executive Director Brian Clark, it would allow for giant ships to carry even more cargo.

Clark said cost of the dredging project is estimated at about $800 million; if it goes forward, it won't be complete for several years.

Despite production and distribution difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of container moves at the Port of Wilmington increased 2% in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, over the previous year, said North Carolina Ports spokeswoman Amy Passaretti.

Between June 30, 2019, and June 30, 2020, volume rose 4%. In the past fiscal year, the port handled 2 million tons of cargo.

Rouzer also got an up-close look at the new South Gate Container Complex, which is nearing completion. A new office building will house the port’s container cargo employees. A new high-resolution imaging facility will log each incoming container’s identity number and weight. And incoming truck lanes will increase from four to seven; outgoing truck lanes will increase from three to six, according to Passaretti.
 
If Congress passes the proposed Infrastructure bill, could there be money for improved rail connections to the Port of Wilmington? Rouzer didn’t hazard an opinion but said that good rail is an “incredibly important component” of port growth. Important to the port also is the new CSX $160 million intermodal terminal nearing completion in Rocky Mount, he added.
 
Asked if he supports the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act now being debated in Congress, Rouzer was non-committal. As it currently stands, the bill would invest $17 billion in infrastructure improvements for ports and $66 billion in passenger and freight rail improvements.
 
“I’m not sure of my support,” the Congressman said. “We’ll see what happens to it in the Senate and ... what Speaker Pelosi brings to us [in the House].”
 
Rouzer‘s annual tour through his district gives him an opportunity to hear what’s on the minds of his constituents.
 
“The biggest issue I’m hearing from employers is they are finding it hard to find workers,” he said. “Our community colleges are doing a good job of training people, but in tourism areas like Wilmington, they need unskilled workers as well; people to work in restaurants and bars.”
 
Rouzer said that the federal unemployment supplement has given such workers a financial incentive to stay home, but that supplement will end in early September.
 
He also mentioned concerns about inflation, which he blamed partially on new government spending and partially on workplace shutdowns related to COVID that are limiting production and disrupting supply chains.
 
“We need to get the government policies right and stop shutting down these places arbitrarily,” he said.

Correction: This version of the story corrects a statistic from the N.C. Ports to say there was a 2% rise in container moves over the previous fiscal year.
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Jasonpathfinder3

What You Need to Know About SECURE 2.0 and Its Effect on Retirement Plans

Jason Wheeler - Pathfinder Wealth Consulting
Burrus rob headshot 300x300

Spreading Wings for Flight: 2nd Annual Trade Show Highlights the Ingenuity of UNCW Business Students

Robert Burrus - Cameron School of Business - UNC-Wilmington
Chris 16239425

‘Creative,’ An Adjective To Describe Your Accountant?!

Chris Capone - Capone & Associates

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

NCino's Fourth-quarter Earnings Signal Rebound From Liquidity Crisis

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 27, 2024

In The Current Issue

MADE: Polyhose Inc.

Polyhose manufactures and fabricates hose protection, paint hose assemblies and rubber hydraulic assemblies from its Pender County facility....


Park Progress

The planning for Pender Commerce Park began in the early 2000s when the county wanted to create an economic driver on its largely rural west...


Topsail-area Realtors Share Updates

Pender County Realtors recently shared updates about the coastal market at an event hosted by the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Associa...

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments