North Charleston paper mill demo moves ahead after 2 years under new SC Ports plan
By Teri Errico Griffis – Post & Courier
MOUNT PLEASANT — Nearly two years to the day after the State Ports Authority bought the WestRock paper mill for $105 million, the agency is ready to raze the entire site and expand its North Charleston Terminal.
The Ports Authority board voted unanimously at its monthly meeting May 14 to seek proposals for a $720,000 design contract for the 280-acre waterfront property.
A demolition contract was already approved ahead of the meeting to bring all the existing structures down to the slab. The agency shared that there will be enough scrap metal removed from the paper mill operations to offset demolition costs — bringing the contract below the $250,000 threshold needed for board approval.
The contract involves the design, permitting and preparation of construction documents for improvements to the North Charleston Terminal, which includes adding capabilities to service the non-containerized business segment of roll-on, roll-off ships. Currently, “ro-ro” ships — cargo vessels designed to transport wheeled cargo — primarily call on the Columbus Street Terminal, but the future plans would free up Columbus to add more project cargo, break bulk and additional ro-ro opportunities.
Expanding ro-ro operations at North Charleston will allow the terminal to get additional usage out of the acreage in the interim until the terminal is fully modernized for container use.
“This project not only allows SC Ports to put the additional property at North Charleston Terminal into production ahead of major expansion of the container yard, but it also opens new opportunities for more cargo to move through Columbus Street Terminal,” SPA CEO Micah Mallace said. “We are committed to growth, and we will use every acre of our real estate to welcome new cargo opportunities to Charleston. Growth at the port drives opportunity within our maritime community and creates jobs around our state.”
Future projects that would help the SPA get North Charleston to its full capacity include dredging the Cooper River to 52 feet and replacing and raising the Don Holt Bridge that ships need to pass under. The bridge currently has a 161-foot clearance, which limits the size of ships visiting the terminal farther upriver to about 8,000 TEUs, a unit of measurement that indicates how many 20-foot shipping containers can be loaded on a cargo ship..
The upgrades — which are still years away and would be part of a $4 billion spending plan to widen Interstate 526 from North Charleston to Mount Pleasant — would allow vessels up to 20,000 TEUs to call on the terminal.
Future work on the SPA’s North Charleston Terminal also includes the installation of concrete pavement to support the operation of rubber tired gantry cranes at select container blocks and adding rail service.
Rail operations will be served by SC Ports’ rail partner Palmetto Railways.
“SC Ports’ initiative to provide expanded rail services at its North Charleston Terminal builds on robust existing rail infrastructure and improves capacity for future cargo growth,” said Patrick McCrory, president and CEO of Palmetto Railways. “Together, we will continue working seamlessly to enhance service for our shared customers for ro-ro operations at North Charleston Terminal, while also collaborating on future business growth opportunities at Columbus Street Terminal.”
Regardless of moving ro-ro operations to North Charleston, plans always called for the paper mill site to be demolished so that the port could use the real estate it currently owns to generate more revenue, grow more volume and increase tax flow — moves that Mallace emphasized in his state of the port address in October.
Mallace was just days into his new role as CEO — replacing Barbara Melvin, who resigned unexpectedly in August after three years at the agency’s helm — when he addressed industry leaders.
But Mallace is far from a stranger to the state agency, having joined the SPA in 2011 as regional sales director. He remained a key part of the leadership team until 2022 when he began a three-year stint as president of North Charleston-based trucking and warehousing business Harbor Logistics.
The board’s approval to seek proposals for the contract May 14 will now give the SPA the green light to get the site ready, make improvements to the pavement and prepare for rail service.
Asbestos has been one of the biggest concerns for the paper mill facility, which was built in 1937 and permanently ceased operations on August 31, 2023. But the design contract includes asbestos remediation.
As for the demolition timeline: Razing of the former paper mill site, which the port acquired with state support in 2024, will begin this summer. Work to prepare the terminal for ro-ro operations will begin in 2027, with an anticipated 2028 completion.