Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU)
Review and History

The Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is the world's biggest military terminal. The Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is located about 13 nautical miles downriver (22 kilometers or 14 miles south direct) from the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina. It is about 130 nautical miles (226 kilometers or 141 miles direct) northeast of the Port of Charleston, South Carolina.

The Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is a transfer point between ships, rail, and trucks. The United States Army's 597th Transportation Terminal Group operates the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point for cargoes like ammunition, explosives, weapons, military equipment, and other dangerous cargo.

Opening in 1955, the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is located on an 8.5 thousand acre site in New Hanover and Brunswick counties on the banks of the Cape Fear River. There is also a 2.1 thousand acre buffer zone around the facility on Pleasure Island, North Carolina.

The Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is the US Army's main deep-water port on the East Coast. It is their principal shipping point for ammunition on the Atlantic Coast and the only Department of Defense terminal that can handle containerized ammunition.

The Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point has operated during every armed conflict since it opened in 1955. During the Vietnam War, as many as six ships were loaded at a time. During the Persian Gulf War, the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point transferred 466 thousand tons of cargo.

During Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Desert Sortie, the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point transshipped more than 90% of the resupply munitions to and from the Gulf, loading/unloading over two million tons of munitions carried by 186 vessels. Over 90% of ammunition going to Iraq and Afghanistan moved through the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point.

Also supporting Fort Bragg, the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is used to ship heavy equipment, bulk supplies, and ammunition when the 82nd Airborne Division is mobilized.

The Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point has three docks as well as a temporary holding area for munitions. There is almost five acres of building space on the property. In addition to its function as a port, the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is used to manage traffic, support the Army's rail service, train reserves, administer contracts, manage resources, and coordinate logistics at the installation. The facility supports three US Army Reserve Units, 228 civilians, 42 Army Individual Mobilization Augmentees, and ten soldiers. The Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point also contains about 100 kilometers (62 miles) of rail tracks.

Since 2001, the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point has been open to commercial cargo as a way to train personnel and to generate funds for operating the facility.

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