The North Carolina State Ports Authority, a semi-autonomous state agency, purchased the site for the North Carolina International Terminal in early 2006.  The NCSPA engaged CH2M Hill, Inc., a large and respected engineering firm with experience in port projects, to prepare preliminary plans.

    In March 2008, CH2M Hill, Inc., delivered to the NCSPA a Pro Forma Business Plan, accompanied by a report on Planning Assumptions.  The “Pro Forma” label is a qualification,  The consultants explain that the report “is intended solely as a presentation of conceptualized data or information, where certain values or concepts are hypothetical or tentative.”  Nevertheless, this plan has been the basis for going forward, and the figures for container movements have been used for forecasts of economic impacts, which include forecasts of jobs that would be related to the container terminal.  The NCSPA has used an economic impact report prepared by Martin Associates as the basis for its claims for jobs.

    NoPort Southport has arranged for these analyses of both the Pro Forma Business Plan and the economic impact report.  Both were found to have serious flaws.

    Business Plan
    Economic Impacts

These reports are works in progress, and revisions will be posted here from time to time.

    Also in March 2008, CH2M Hill, Inc., delivered to the NCSPA a group of technical memoranda on various design aspects of the proposed container terminal and its related infrastructure requirements.  NoPort Southport has obtained these by request under the North Carolina Public Records law:

    Port Planning and Terminal Concept
    Roadway Planning
    Conceptual Rail Plan
    Conceptual Dredging Study
    Conceptual Civil Design
    Conceptual Wharf Design
    Site Utilities
    Security and Technology
    Cost Estimate

    In September 2008, CH2M Hill, Inc., delivered to the NCSPA an Infrastructure Report This is a comprehensive report, covering the material presented in the technical memoranda, with some revisions, particularly as to costs.

    In early 2009, the NCSPA engaged Moffatt & Nichol, another large and respected engineering firm which has served the NCSPA in the past, to prepare forecasts of cargo movements through the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City for a ten-year period, as support for the NCSPA financial plan.  This Ports of Wilmington and Morehead City Feasibility Study, issued in draft form in January 2010 and discovered by NoPort Southport under the Public Records law, includes forecasts of container movements through the container terminal at the Port of Wilmington.  Inasmuch as the container terminal at the Port of Wilmington serves the same market and has the same infrastructure as the proposed container terminal at Southport, such forecasts of container movements would be applicable to the proposed container terminal.  They are very different from the forecasts presented by CH2M Hill, Inc.  The container movements forecast by Moffatt & Nichol could comfortably be handled by the container terminal at the Port of Wilmington, as its capacity is being expanded.

    In March 2010, the State Ports Authority issued revenue bonds.  The Official Statement for that issue includes, as an appendix, the final Moffatt & Nichol report referred to above. .

    On July 21, 2010, the State Ports Authority announced "it is placing the North Carolina International Terminal project on hold."

    Click on the underscored titles to link to the full reports in .pdf format.