RALEIGH -- Governor Pat McCrory visited the Port of Wilmington June 2 to break ground on the new Cold Storage Facility.

The Port of Wilmington Cold Storage Facility is the first cold storage facility located on a port in the state of North Carolina. Previously, exporters of perishable goods were forced to use other ports that have a cold storage facility onsite.

“The brand-new cold storage facility will greatly benefit the economy of the Port of Wilmington and North Carolina,” Governor McCrory said in a press release.  “The facility will make the port competitive and increase the amount of products it can ship out while also allowing North Carolina companies and farmers to distribute their inventory locally, nationally and globally.”

The Port of Wilmington Cold Storage warehouse facility will contain roughly 3 million cubic feet and is located directly on the terminal at the Port of Wilmington. The facility has ideal distribution channels including water, interstate and rail.

North Carolina is building the facility through a partnership with USA InvestCo and in collaboration with the North Carolina State Port Authority, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture and local government agencies.