Charleston’s Bulk Service Handling Port
November 20th, 2007: Art Rudolph, area manager for Kinder Morgan Terminals, gave us information on this fast growing company, which is only 10 years old. His territory extends from Philadelphia to Charleston and includes 8 terminals. The home company owns and manages 150 terminals shipping oil, diesel, coal, and other bulk products. In addition to ports they have major pipe lines terminals in New York City, Houston, and New Orleans which pump natural gas, CO2, and diesel V.
A computerized master control center operates out of Houston. The company started with a single pipe line purchased from Enron and then expended into terminals in Kentucky and Tennessee. The biggest company terminal in the Charleston area is in North Charleston, on Virginia Avenue and handles rebar, coal, salt, cement and aggregate. 50% of the aggregate for the new Cooper River Bridge came from their terminal. This terminal can hold 450,000 barrels of diesel and chemicals used by Westvaco.
The company continues to purchase and expend, but not to break up and sell but rather to improve and run the terminals and facilities it purchases, all with an eye to safety and environmental considerations. The North Charleston terminal site has been active since the early 1900’s and they are committed to making major cleanups of old soil leaks there were on the site. Recent area improvements include the purchase of two new German cranes. Their dock capacity enables them to import huge quantities of highly clean burning coal from South America. Currently they are planning expansions that will spend about 70 million dollars.
Reported by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee