The State Ports Authority is taking steps on three fronts to ensure South Carolina has enough space on its public docks to handle future growth in international trade and remain competitive, the agency's top official told a maritime industry gathering Monday.

In his annual address to the Propeller Club of the Port of Charleston, SPA president and chief executive Bernard S. Groseclose said the state's ability to move oceangoing cargo quickly hinges largely on the completion of a new container terminal on the former Navy base in North Charleston.

In the meantime, he said, the SPA hopes to ease its short-term space needs by expanding its Wando Welch terminal in Mount Pleasant by 50 acres, using up its last large piece of undeveloped land. Also, Groseclose vowed that the authority will "pursue development in Jasper County for even longer-term opportunities."

The most pressing issue for the SPA is the three-berth, 288-acre terminal it is proposing to build in North Charleston. The first phase of that $600 million expansion is expected to be completed in 2011.

Groseclose, who runs the nation's fourth-largest container port, urged the roughly 40 lawmakers at Monday's event to support public funding for an access road that will link the new terminal with Interstate 26. The financing of that road is not the SPA's responsibility, he said.

"For both traffic and community reasons, it is absolutely essential that this connection is made," he told the legislators. "We need your help if port expansion is to become a reality."

Until then, Groseclose said, the SPA is trying to maximize the use of the space at its three major Charleston port terminals. For instance, the agency last month approved the biggest onetime purchase of cranes and other container-handling equipment in its history, saying the nearly $64 million acquisition plan should tide it over until the North Charleston expansion is completed.

In a related move, the SPA plans to tap the last remaining acreage it can build on at its Wando Welch Terminal, a project that will boost container storage capacity. Groseclose described the expansion in Mount Pleasant as a must. "With these and other steps ... we can accommodate growth in the near term," he said.

Groseclose also said the SPA is committed to making a major investment on the Savannah River in Jasper County. "Make no mistake: This project is not a substitute for Charleston expansion," he said. "With careful planning, the projects can be complementary."

But the Jasper plans will depend on the state Supreme Court, which is considering whether the county's plan to build a $500 million shipping terminal with a private company on that site infringes on the state's maritime powers.

"If the court rules in our favor, we'll quickly move ahead on this vital project," Groseclose said. He also said the SPA has opened informal talks with Georgia about operating the 1,800-acre Jasper site under a collaborative agreement. "However, if these discussions do not bear fruit, South Carolina must be prepared to move ahead on its own," he said.

The annual industry gathering also gave Groseclose a chance to trumpet the SPA's accomplishments in its last fiscal year, including a 14 percent increase in container volume and an 18 percent jump in revenue, to about 400 important business constituents.

"As we reflect on the past year and look ahead, it's quite obvious that our state's public ports are at a critical moment in their evolution," he said.