South Carolina Ports (SC Ports) has offered an update on the Leatherman terminal development, which is expected to increase its throughput to 10 million TEUs.
President and CEO, Barbara Melvin, revealed that Leatherman Terminal’s expansion plans are ongoing, including the construction of a second, 1,600-foot berth for the terminal’s pier, totalling 3,000 feet of berth capacity for giant container ships.
When fully built out, Leatherman Terminal will have three berths and a capacity of 2.4 million TEUs.
This container terminal is reportedly big-ship ready, with five ship-to-shore (STS) cranes that stand 169 feet above the wharf and 25 hybrid RTG cranes.
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With extensions and modernisations planned or finished for all three container terminals, SC Ports is on the verge of reaching 10 million TEUs in Charleston Harbor, an unrivalled asset in the Southeast port market.
In addition to the Leatherman Terminal’s anticipated capacity, the Port of Charleston’s next significant source of capacity will be an upgraded and enlarged North Charleston Terminal.
SC Ports bought the former WestRock paper mill property in North Charleston, thanks to strong governmental assistance.
The 280-acre industrial park is located along the Cooper River, near the terminal. SC Ports plans to extend the facility to handle 5 million TEUs in the future. It will have 5,000 linear feet of container berth area and 400 acres of freight terminal space.
Melvin stated: “A modernised terminal with significant new container capacity will yield even more reliable, productive port service. This expansion, combined with efforts to raise the Don Holt Bridge and deepen the river to 52 feet, will enable North Charleston Terminal to handle the biggest ships calling the port today.”
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According to SC Ports, Wando Welch Terminal can already accommodate three giant container ships at once, with extremely productive crane operations and truck turnaround times.
The terminal has a cargo capacity of 2.4 million TEUs and a large refrigerated container yard to facilitate the influx of commodities into the developing region.
“The Southeast is where people are investing, and we are investing in our operations to support that growth,” Melvin said.
“Companies can be confident that if they put capital in the ground and commit to this region, we have the infrastructure and capacity to grow along with them.”
In July, SC Ports witnessed container traffic increase by 8 per cent compared to the same month in 2023.