Container handling through the port of Charleston, NC climbed 9.2% on a year earlier in December. That was the result of a 14.0% surge in shipments from China ahead of now-delayed tariffs. The export picture was poorer with a 12.7% drop confirming a trend seen in California and Texas that is suggestive of a wider U.S. trade deficit. The port authority plans to tackle congestion issues with new barge-based onward transit, though a drop in imports from China may relieve that pressure. The top two freight forwarders through the port in 2018 were K+N and Panalpina.