South Carolina Ports (SC Ports) is marking the five-year anniversary of Inland Port Dillon with a record number of containers handled at the rail-served inland port in March.

In a statement, SC Ports said the idea for Inland Port Dillon came from seeing the success of SC Ports' first inland port in Greer, which opened in 2013.

SC Ports invested in its second inland port in Dillon, which opened in 2018 with Harbor Freight Tools as the anchor tenant.

"It was five years ago — almost to the day — that we were here opening this facility. What an accomplished five years we have had," said Barbara Melvin, SC Ports President and CEO. "It has been amazing to see the growth at Inland Port Dillon, as well as with all the port-dependent businesses in the Pee Dee region that rely on SC Ports."

Melvin noted that the idea for Inland Port Dillon back then was something that only a few ports in the country were undertaking.

"But we believed strongly that South Carolina Ports needed rail-served inland ports in South Carolina," Melvin said. "We wanted to extend the Port of Charleston's reach inland to better serve our customers."

Inland Port Dillon provides importers and exporters with a direct connection to the Port of Charleston via CSX rail.

The operation swiftly handles goods for importers like Harbor Freight Tools and exporters like International Paper, The Anderson’s and Darling International.

Inland Port Dillon supports agribusiness by connecting farmers to international markets. Customers like Performance Ag, Palmetto Grain, Smithfield Grain, Northwest Grains and C&M Hog Farms move grain and soybeans through the inland port.

"The dedication and skill of our Inland Port Dillon team have created growth in the region," Melvin added.

Busiest month in Inland Port Dillon's history

SC Ports noted that March marked the busiest month in Inland Port Dillon's history, with more than 4,300 containers handled.

This is a 16% increase from the previous record set in December 2022. Inland Ports Greer and Dillon handled 17,541 rail moves combined in March.

Meanwhile, SC Ports handled 193,085 TEUs and 107,084 pier containers in March, for a total of nearly 2 million TEUs and around 1.09 million pier containers handled fiscal year-to-date.

SC Ports also handled 15,692 vehicles last month.

"We proudly move freight for South Carolina, and we are equally as proud to be a part of the Dillon community," Melvin said. "We look forward to more growth here in the years to come."