NC Ports Grows Ro/Ro Volumes, Capabilities

Morehead City/ Wilmington, N.C. – The North Carolina Ports team continues to expand its roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) capabilities, which has led to an increase in finished vehicle imports.

In FY24, the Morehead City team and its partners handled several new ro/ro programs, including the import of finished vehicles like coach buses and commercial vans.

“The Port of Morehead City has traditionally handled military vehicles and wheeled heavy machinery,” said Hans Bean, Chief Commercial Officer, North Carolina Ports. “These new rolling programs showcase the Port of Morehead City’s capabilities and strong commitment to service that is also applicable to the automotive segment.”

The import of some of these finished vehicles has coincided with other unique breakbulk and project cargo, such as wind turbine blades, nacelles, and towers for a global leader in sustainable energy solutions, showcasing the Port of Morehead City’s extensive laydown areas and storage capacity.

In addition to new ro/ro programs, the Port of Morehead City also welcomed a new monthly ConRo liner service in FY24 that Spliethoff Group launched between Belgium, the UK, and U.S. East Coast.

This momentum, supported by NC Ports’ dual port model, continues to attract interest and increased engagement from original equipment manufacturers, auto and ro/ro carriers, and auto processors—especially as the industry considers additional requirements to serve market growth, including electric vehicles.

Not only can the Ports of Morehead City and Wilmington service a variety of ro/ro cargo, but both ports can support economic development buildouts that require project, containerized, and breakbulk capabilities.

“Both Morehead City and Wilmington have significant potential to deliver a broad range of solutions for rolling stock currently moving on breakbulk, ConRo, and specialized auto and ro/ro ocean carriers,” said Brian Clark, Executive Director, North Carolina Ports.

NC Ports’ strategic decision to remain diversified between containers and general cargo remains a focus. The organization’s general cargo performance continues to see strong core business success, such as lumber, grains and feeds, aviation, and rubber, in addition to new ro/ro and project cargo programs. ?

“Our highly-skilled team members and partners, combined with our storage offerings, enable us to deliver unique solutions for our customers with extreme care and efficiency,” Clark said. “We are well positioned operationally and geographically to service the increased demand for our general cargo and ro/ro capabilities now and in the future.”

About North Carolina Ports

With deepwater port locations in Wilmington and Morehead City, plus an inland port in Charlotte and intermodal rail access through CSX’s Carolina Connector (CCX) in Rocky Mount, North Carolina Ports links consumers, business and industry to world markets. Our ports also serve as magnets to attract new business and industry to the State of North Carolina. Port activities contribute statewide to more than 87,700 jobs and $678 million each year in state and local tax revenues.