The South Carolina Ports Authority (SC Ports) has received six new rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes as part of its latest equipment upgrades at the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal (HLT).
The new RTG cranes arrived at HLT on 13 February, taking its total fleet to 25 RTG cranes and five ship-to-shore (STS) cranes.
The taking of the equipment will precede HLT’s opening in March. The additional cranes will enable the port to work up to 19,000 TEU vessels.
The investment will add capacity to port operatives who have experienced a major surge in cargo traffic in recent months, finishing 2020 with its strongest December on record handling almost 210,000 TEU.
In just December SC Ports welcomed 15 hybrid RTGs at the terminal, part of an expansion which saw four delivered in November 2020.
The 15 cranes delivered in December 2020 was also a record US-bound RTG shipment for Chinese state-owned port equipment manufacturer ZPMC.
