The Port of Charleston finished 2004 with a record-breaking number of shipping containers moving on and off the docks.

Almost 1.9 million containers were shipped through the port last year, up from about 1.7 million in 2003 and 1.6 million in 2002.

Port officials attribute the rise not just to growing trade all over the country, but also to better productivity at terminals in Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant.

The North Charleston Terminal installed a new container-management system last year to better track how cargo moves around the waterfront. Truck turn times were cut in half and container volume through the terminal nearly doubled.

The same system was installed two weeks ago at Wando-Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant, the busiest terminal in the Port of Charleston.

Overall, almost 956,000 containers were exported from Charleston's terminals last year, up from 900,000 in 2003. Almost that many, 908,000 containers, were shipped into the country through the port. That's up from 791,000 imported in 2003.

The number of ships that stopped in the Port of Charleston was 2,058 in 2004, up from 1,921 ships in 2003.

Breakbulk goods - those not shipped in containers - dropped almost 1,000 tons last year in Charleston to 607,000 tons. Port Royal, which the State Ports Authority plans to close, saw an increase in breakbulk goods to 211,000 tons in 2004 from 164,000 tons in 2003.

CHINA SYNDROME

Congress, following the lead of at least one powerful South Carolina lawmaker, will again be looking at ways to control the growing trade deficit with China.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has said he plans to re-introduce a bill that would impose 27.5 percent tariffs on imports from China.

The trade balance between the two countries swings heavily toward the East. In 2003, China exported about $124 billion more goods to the United States than it imported from the U.S.

China's dominance in most markets has spurred major losses in U.S. manufacturing. Industries like textiles also have been hithard by a flood of cheap imports from from China. Domestic textile makers have faced the toughest challenges this year as U.S.-imposed quotas expired and limit on foreign imports fell away.

A few dozen other bills, in addition to Graham's tariff proposal, have been introduced in Congress to help balance trade between the United States and China.

Many of the bills urge reform of China's lax intellectual property laws, and some push for the nation to address problems with its currency, estimated to be undervalued by up to 40 percent.

EVADING EXPORTING ERRORS

New South Carolina exporters looking to capitalize on free-trade agreements between the United States and countries like Chile and Singapore might find navigating NAFTA rules is no easy business venture.

The state Department of Commerce has offered to give some helpful hints to state manufacturers who are confused about all the documents required to ship goods using the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A Feb. 11 workshop in Columbia, led by Louisa Elder, director of Illinois' International Trade Centers in Chicago, will focus on paving a smoother path down the paper trail that often causes major hang-ups for exporters.

Nations that have free-trade agreements with the United States still require complex documentation about goods and prices. Filling out something like a "Certificate of Origin" form is a crucial step in the process, and for exporters who take it on "without fully understanding the process, it could cost them big bucks," workshop organizers said.

The February seminar, to be held at the Columbiana Hotel and Conference Center, will delve into which documents should be at the top of exporters' to-do lists and how to make sense of tariffs, regional price and value differences, and other NAFTA regulations.

For registration and additional information, call 803-737-0488.