Port of Wilmington, NC rail freight: what lands here and where it goes inland
The largest vessel import here, year to date through July 2026, is fertilizer (about $202 million) among the 22 commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks. The port district is reached by CSX, which is what makes the Wilmington gateway useful for shippers whose plants sit hundreds of miles inland. This page pairs the Census import data behind the Commodity Flow Map port layer with the railroads, transload capacity and inland lanes that turn a vessel arrival into a rail move.
Top imports by vessel
Vessel imports at Wilmington, NC, year to date through July 2026, US$ millions, for the commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks.
| HS chapter | Commodity group | Vessel imports YTD |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Fertilizer · fertilizer by rail | $202M |
| Total, tracked chapters | $202M | |
Railroads at the port
- CSX
Where more than one Class I reaches a port, the routing choice sets the inland rate, the interchange points and which inland terminals are single-line. That is the first question a lane audit answers.
Rail transload and terminal capacity nearby
Rail-served transload facilities within 30 miles of the port, from the Steel Wheel Transload Directory:
- Colonial Terminals Inc — Wilmington, NC (0 mi): third-party-warehouse; Air Compressor, Blending Meters, Gravity (Trestle), Liquid Pumps
- Kinder Morgan Woodbine Street Terminal — Wilmington, NC (1 mi): port-terminal; liquid bulk, vessel-rail transload
- Carolina Marine Terminal (Relay Terminals) — Wilmington, NC (3 mi): port-terminal; dry bulk, vessel-rail transload
- Kinder Morgan River Road Terminal — Wilmington, NC (0 mi): port-terminal; liquid bulk, vessel-rail transload
- Cape Fear Bonded Warehouse — Wilmington, NC (4 mi): third-party-warehouse; Scale
- North Carolina State Ports Authority — Port of Wilmington — Wilmington, NC (2 mi): port-terminal; liquid bulk, dry bulk, breakbulk, vessel-rail transload
- Port of Wilmington Cold Storage — Wilmington, NC (2 mi): third-party-warehouse
- Chemserve Terminal of Wilmington — Wilmington, NC (3 mi): third-party-warehouse
Distances are straight-line from the port's Census coordinates. Capabilities are as listed by the operator; confirm before routing.
Typical inland lanes from this port
How the top import groups typically move inland from Wilmington. These describe the flow, not a price: run the indicative rail rate from Wilmington for a first number.
- Imported urea, DAP, MAP and potash rails in covered hoppers to inland fertilizer warehouses across the Corn Belt, the Plains and the Mississippi Delta ahead of each planting season. Indicative rail rate from Wilmington.
- Bulk and break-bulk cargo unloaded at Wilmington terminals transfers to railcars at dockside or at a nearby transload facility and moves to inland consignees on CSX lanes. Indicative rail rate from Wilmington.
- Railcars that deliver inland freight into Wilmington reposition with outbound export loads, so import lanes are often paired with export moves to keep equipment cycles balanced. Indicative rail rate from Wilmington.
- Shippers consolidating imports from Wilmington with domestic production can route both through the same inland terminal, which simplifies car supply and switching. Indicative rail rate from Wilmington.
Common questions
Which railroads serve the Port of Wilmington?
CSX reach the Wilmington, NC port district.
What does the Port of Wilmington import the most?
By vessel value, year to date through July 2026, the largest import at Wilmington among the chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks is fertilizer (about $202 million). Total tracked vessel imports were about $202 million. Source: U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API.
Can I move imported fertilizer from Wilmington inland by rail?
The largest tracked vessel import group at Wilmington is fertilizer (about $202 million year to date through July 2026), and the port district is reached by CSX. The Steel Wheel transload directory lists at least 8 rail-served transload facilities within 30 miles of the port. Use the indicative rail rate tool for a first estimate and a lane audit to confirm routing; estimates are indicative until confirmed with the serving railroad.
Moving imports inland from Wilmington?
Steel Wheel Logistics is an outsourced rail department: we route, price and manage rail moves from the port to your plant. Rate estimates are indicative only until confirmed with the serving railroad.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, general imports by port of entry, vessel value, year to date through July 2026. Steel Wheel Logistics analysis.