Charleston and North Charleston, South Carolina · East Coast
Port of Charleston container demurrage & detention dispute guide
Three SC Ports container terminals, rail-served inland ports at Greer and Dillon, Go!Port gate codes and the port-owned SMART Pool. Rail and empty-return records drive D&D disputes.
- Authority
- South Carolina Ports Authority (SC Ports)
- Volume
- 2.6 million TEU in fiscal 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025), up 3% (South Carolina Ports Authority, July 21, 2025)
- Container terminals
- 5
The port at a glance
The Port of Charleston is owned and operated by the South Carolina Ports Authority, which runs its own container terminals: Wando Welch in Mount Pleasant, North Charleston and the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal on the former Navy base. Behind the harbor, SC Ports runs two rail-served inland ports, Inland Port Greer in the Upstate (serving the automotive and manufacturing cluster around Greenville and Spartanburg) and Inland Port Dillon in the Pee Dee region. Import containers for retail distribution and manufacturing inputs dominate, and exports include automotive parts, resins, paper and agricultural products.
Charleston's D&D exposure is closely tied to its inland rail network. Containers moving to Greer or Dillon by rail can wait in the harbor for train capacity, and then wait again for pickup at the inland port. The clock that matters (carrier demurrage, terminal storage or carrier detention) changes depending on who controls the move and where the container is grounded. Empty-return instructions are the other frequent issue: SC Ports and carriers publish advisories directing certain carriers' empties to specific terminals, and a driver sent to the wrong one loses a day.
Importers in Charleston often accept invoices without checking which terminal the container was actually available at. With three harbor terminals and two inland ports, an availability date taken from the wrong facility, or a free-time start set at discharge in Charleston for a container that was only grounded at Greer days later, produces overbilling that is easy to miss. Under 46 CFR § 541.6 the invoice must state the port of discharge, the container availability date and the specific dates charged, and those fields are where the audit starts.
Container terminals
Wando Welch Terminal
South Carolina Ports Authority · Mount Pleasant
North Charleston Terminal
South Carolina Ports Authority · North Charleston
Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal
South Carolina Ports Authority · North Charleston, on the former Navy base; a second berth is planned
Inland Port Greer
South Carolina Ports Authority · Rail-served inland port in the Upstate
Inland Port Dillon
South Carolina Ports Authority · Rail-served inland port in the Pee Dee region
Appointments & empty returns
- Go!Port is SC Ports' motor carrier system: carriers register free with their SCAC and create a pre-advise (PIN or gate code) that is required to gate in or out at Wando Welch, North Charleston and Inland Port Greer.
- SC Ports publishes gate hours, holiday gate schedules and empty-return advisories on its Motor Carrier Guide page, which is the reference for whether a terminal was open and accepting a given carrier's empties on a billed date.
- GO!CHASSIS handles SMART Pool chassis usage review, invoice payment and chassis billing disputes.
Chassis
SC Ports owns and runs the SMART Pool, a fleet of nearly 10,000 GPS-equipped chassis staged at Wando Welch, North Charleston, Leatherman, Inland Port Greer and Dillon, which replaced the port's participation in the South Atlantic Chassis Pool.
Where D&D builds up at Charleston.
Inland port rail dwell
Containers railed to Inland Port Greer or Inland Port Dillon can wait for trains in the harbor and then again for pickup inland. If the carrier controls the inland move, demurrage billed to the consignee for rail dwell is a strong dispute candidate.
Empty return advisories by carrier
SC Ports posts advisories directing specific carriers' empty returns to specific terminals. A driver who cannot return to the terminal where the container was picked up, or is redirected mid-day, accrues detention outside the cargo owner's control.
Terminal-specific availability
With three harbor terminals, the availability date on an invoice must reflect the terminal where the container was actually grounded and released. Errors here shift free time and create billed days that never existed.
Hurricane season closures
SC Ports suspends operations ahead of hurricanes and tropical storms and publishes reopening schedules. Those notices establish days on which no pickup or return was possible.
Labor events
SC Ports reported that its October 2024 volume was down 11% year over year due in part to the coastwide three-day ILA stoppage (October 1 to 3, 2024). Invoices covering that period should be checked for closure and backlog days.
Free time and disputes at Charleston
Terminal storage at Charleston is billed by the South Carolina Ports Authority under its published terminal tariff, and ocean carrier demurrage and detention are billed under each carrier's tariff or your service contract. Free time therefore depends on which party is billing and what agreement applies. Each invoice must say so: § 541.6 requires the applicable rule (tariff and rule number, terminal schedule, or service contract number and section), the free time allowed in days, the start and end of free time, the container availability date, the specific dates charged and the specific rates. Where that information is missing, § 541.5 removes any obligation to pay.
When the invoice is complete, test it against SC Ports records. Confirm the availability date is the date the container was grounded and released at the right facility, especially for rail moves to Greer or Dillon. Compare detention days with the empty-return advisories in force and with Go!Port gate records for any turned-away return. Days falling inside a hurricane closure or the October 2024 stoppage should be removed under the incentive principle in 46 CFR § 545.5.
The 30-day rules apply to each invoice separately. A billing party must issue within 30 calendar days of the date the charge was last incurred (§ 541.7), and you have at least 30 calendar days from issuance to request mitigation, refund or waiver (§ 541.8). ATAHSKIA files the relief request inside that window with the SC Ports evidence attached, tracks the 30-day resolution deadline, and compiles a 46 U.S.C. § 41310 charge complaint dossier for the billed party to submit if the dispute is not resolved.
Charleston D&D FAQ
Does Charleston use truck appointments?
SC Ports requires motor carriers to create a Go!Port pre-advise (PIN or gate code) to gate in or out at Wando Welch, North Charleston and Inland Port Greer. Check the SC Ports Motor Carrier Guide for current gate procedures and hours on the dates in dispute.
Who bills demurrage on containers railed to Inland Port Greer?
It depends on who controls the move. Terminal storage is billed by SC Ports under its tariff, and carrier demurrage and detention are billed under the carrier's tariff or your contract. If the carrier controls the rail move, rail dwell billed to you deserves scrutiny under 46 CFR § 545.5.
Can I dispute detention when my empty was redirected to another terminal?
Yes. A redirection that prevents a timely return creates detention the cargo owner could not avoid. Save the empty-return advisory and gate records and request relief within 30 days of the invoice under § 541.8.
Audit your Charleston invoices.
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