South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) is soon to be ready for the biggest ship ever to call the US East Coast, the COSCO Development.
“ SCPA has worked aggressively for years to ensure we can efficiently work 13,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels and be the last Southeast port of call with no navigational issues ,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO . “ Our naturally wide and deepwater harbor, soon to be the deepest on the entire East Coast at 52 feet, can handle vessels the COSCO Development’s size loaded heavy with cargo.”
“ The arrival of the COSCO Development at East Coast ports marks a new era ,” Newsome added. “ Seeing a 13,000 TEU vessel in our harbor is a tangible reflection that our vision and capital investments to be big-ship ready are absolutely critical.”
According to Newsome, the COSCO Development’s visit is the first of many milestones ahead for SCPA. This fall, dredges in the Charleston Harbor will mark the beginning of the construction phase of the Harbor Deepening Project.
Within the next year, a $44 million project to modernize and strengthen the wharf at SCPA’s Wando Welch Terminal will be completed and two new ZPMC super post-Panamax cranes will be delivered from China, complementing the two cranes of this size already in operation.
The COSCO Development, measuring 1,200 feet long and 158 feet wide, is currently scheduled to arrive in Charleston on May 13.