Container handling at the port of Charleston set a new record in March after increasing 13% on a year earlier. That was the sixth straight month of growth, and was helped by a 20% rise in empty container throughput. Export growth outstripped imports, a contrast to the pattern seen recently in California and Virginia. Charleston also outperformed regional competitor Savannah. Import growth was led by a 23% expansion in handling of Chinese traffic, which may continue once the Bayonne Bridge raising is complete.