PORT OF WILMINGTON BRIDGES THE SOUTHEAST REGION
TO A WORLD OF BUSINESS

Convenient and competitive, ocean terminals at the Port of Wilmington link the economy of Southeastern North Carolina to the globe. The Port has been a key industrial and commercial asset for the region since Colonial times. Today, its capacity to rapidly handle bulk, break-bulk and containerized cargo plays a vital role in connecting companies here to buyers, suppliers and business opportunities worldwide. The centerpiece of Southeastern North Carolina’s unique multi-modal transportation infrastructure, the port provides benefits to large, mid-sized and small firms in every corner of the region.

Facilities

Owned and managed by the North Carolina State Ports Authority, the Port of Wilmington boasts the latest physical plant and high-tech operating systems – all in a secure, uncongested environment. Multi-million dollar capital investments at the port over the past decade include the installation of four mammoth post-Panamax container cranes, state-of-the-art container-handling equipment, new warehouses, improved berthage and the deepening of the Cape Fear River channel to 42-foot. The port property also includes:

* Nearly 6,738 linear feet of continuous wharf and nine berths
* More than 100 acres of paved open storage
* Nearly a million square-feet of covered and sprinklered storage space
* Convenient access to CSX mainline rail service, I-40, U.S. Highways 17 and 74/76

Financial Benefits

Use of the Port of Wilmington by companies subject to North Carolina taxes can mean generous financial incentives. Port customers – those facilitating both outbound and inbound cargo – can qualify for tax credits based on wharfage and handling fees that exceed the customer’s average fees over a three tax-year period. The credit applies to taxes due to the State of North Carolina up to a level of 50 percent of total liability per year, with unused credits carried forward for as many as five years. Total tax credits of up to $2 million may be taken.

Properties in and around the Port of Wilmington include Foreign Trade Zone #66. Firms operating in the zone can heighten their global competitiveness by reducing or eliminating federal tariff duties. Additionally, unburdened by the need to clear U.S. Customs procedures, these businesses also are able to hasten delivery and shipment of components and raw materials. 

Security

The Port of Wilmington maximizes security through close collaboration with a variety of federal agencies and defense organizations. In 2007, the port was granted certification under the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, a voluntary government-business initiative strengthens global supply-chain and U.S. border security. Advanced security systems in and around the port complex include technology-driven perimeter fencing, lighting and round-the-clock monitoring gear. In 2009, security personnel began using Datastrip’s DSV2+TURBO card readers to enroll and authenticate workers at the Port of Wilmington. The facility also serves a vital national security function in times of both peace and war, facilitating the sea-based movement of personnel, supplies and equipment from nearby military bases such as Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune.

North Carolina International Terminal

With international commerce -- especially container-based shipping -- expanding rapidly, officials of the North Carolina State Ports Authority are working aggressively to develop a 600-acre property set to become the North Carolina International Terminal (NCIT). The facility, just four miles from open seas, will facilitate container traffic at levels comparable to those of the East Coast’s largest port complexes, freeing the existing Port of Wilmington to conduct bulk and break-bulk cargo. Now undergoing exhaustive environmental analysis, plans for the property hold transformative economic potential for Brunswick and surrounding North Carolina counties, spurring the creation of nearly one-half million jobs statewide. The initial phase of $1.7 billion terminal is set to be operational by 2016.

For additional information, click here to review the NC Ports Distribution and Assembly Manufacturing Overview