Description If you're in North Carolina when your ship comes in, the North Carolina State Ports Authority will help you handle the cargo. The North Carolina State Ports Authority operates the Port of Morehead City, a center for the export of phosphate products and the import of natural rubber, and the Port of Wilmington, which handles containers, forest products, and dry bulk commodities, among other cargo. The agency also handles containers at inland terminals at Charlotte and Greensboro. The North Carolina State Ports Authority was created by the state legislature in 1945. The Wilmington and Morehead City terminals began operations in 1952.