HARDEEVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- Bumper stickers in Hardeeville on the southern tip of South Carolina proclaim "Jasper Port Now!"
But with the slump in the shipping industry, experts say there's no need for a new container port operated by South Carolina and Georgia for at least 15 years or so.
South Carolina state Sen. Tom Davis of Beaufort is proposing a way to jump-start the terminal planned for the South Carolina side of the river.
Davis says a small terminal focusing on barge traffic, smaller shippers and refrigerated foods could be operating in as little as three years.
He plans to meet next week with companies interested in using such a terminal. He says the terminal could switch to handle container traffic once capacity is reached in Charleston and Savannah, Ga.
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