03/29/2024
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By: Erin Smith

The Cape Fear Council-Boy Scouts of America Lakes District held their annual Investment in Character Breakfast on Tuesday morning at the Elizabethtown Presbyterian Church. The keynote speaker for the breakfast was Tom Adams, president and CEO of Adams Building and Consulting Company, LLC and chairman of the North Carolina State Ports Authority Board of Directors.

Adams said that recently the decision was made to hire Paul Cozza as the Chief Executive Officer with the North Carolina State Ports Authority. Since Cozza was hired he has taken the port authority from a negative income to $4 million annually, said Adams.

Adams said that the NC State Ports Authority generated about $40 million in revenue last year and handled about 300,000 TEU. One TEU is equivalent to about two 40’ containers, said Adams.

Adams said the Journal of Containers magazine has listed the Wilmington port as one of the Top Five fastest growing ports on the East Coast.

He said that with the hiring of a new chief commercial officer this past year, the port has been growing and the new officer has been bringing in more ships to the Wilmington port. Adams said that with the expansion of the Panama Canal now complete, the Wilmington port is taking steps to prepare itself to accept larger Panamax ships.

Some of the steps to prepare for the larger ships include increasing the size of the turning basin and adding two more cranes that can handle the larger cargo vessels. The Panamax ships measure over 1,200 feet in length and require a larger turning basin.

Adams said the addition of two Panamax cranes will allow the port to service two Panamax ships at the same time. He added these post-Panamax ships can carry as many as 10,000 TEUs on one ship.

Adams said the port at Wilmington currently ships wood and is preparing to add cold storage and protein to its shipping docks. He said the greatest product hat is currently imported through the Wilmington port is furniture. He added that the port also sees grain shipments and corn shipments from South America.

He said one interesting fact about the port at Wilmington is it started life as a ship building facility for Liberty ships in the early 1900s.

He also discussed the proposed CSX Central Connector in Johnston County. He said the construction of the Central Connector would provide better capability for shipping  goods all over the United States.

Adams said the port at Wilmington and the port at Morehead City provide about 77,000 jobs and generate about $707 million in tax revenue to the state of North Carolina.

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