North Carolina port counts on cement terminal to help solidify growth
2/27/2026
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Modernized and more lucrative cement operations are on the horizon for the Port of Morehead City in North Carolina.
Silvi Cement, a division of Silvi Materials, is expanding its cementitious materials distribution network with a new import terminal at the port.
Under construction and slated to open in 2027, the new terminal will feature two 100,000-ton domes, a direct rail loadout facility and 24/7 truck loading capabilities.
Owned and managed by North Carolina State Ports Authority (NC Ports), the Morehead City port is served by Norfolk Southern Railway. Regional Rail LLC’s Carolina Coastal Railway manages rail-car switching and spotting operations for the port.
For now, Silvi has opened a temporary cement rail loadout facility at the port that’s supplied by its flagship terminal in Bristol, Pennsylvania — one of the largest cement import terminals in North America. The Bristol facility also operates as a rail terminal served by Conrail, which interchanges cement loads to NS and CSX.
After it’s completed, the Morehead City import terminal will enhance and extend the supply chain for construction materials throughout the Southeast, Silvi officials say. Established in 1947 and based in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, Silvi provides ready-mix concrete, cement, stone, slag and rock salt from 33 U.S. locations.
The cement import terminal (shown in this rendering) will feature two 100,000-ton domes, a direct rail loadout facility and 24/7 truck loading capabilities. NC PortsThe new terminal will handle at least five times the volume of the port’s current cement operations while making the bulk cement process cleaner and more efficient, said NC Ports’ Chief Operating Officer Doug Vogt in an email.
“The enclosed domes expand storage capacity and modernize the cement import system by providing a more environmentally friendly, contained operation,” he said.
For the past 10 years, cement operations in Morehead City have been handled via bagged breakbulk shipments.
“The integrated bulk solution will modernize this process,” said Vogt.
The new terminal will handle at least five times the volume of the port’s current cement operations while making the bulk cement process more efficient.NC PortsA breakbulk and bulk facility located four miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the port is one of the deepest on the U.S. East Coast. It is situated within 700 miles of more than 70% of the nation’s industrial base.
Rail connectivity is very important to the port’s growth plans, said Vogt.
“It reduces truck traffic in and around the port area and extends the reach of the port’s addressable market with more efficient, cost-effective long-haul transportation to western North Carolina and surrounding states,” he said.
