PRESS RELEASE – South Carolina Ports Authority has welcomed a shipment of three additional ship-to-shore cranes, which will strengthen operations in the Port of Charleston.

The cranes arrived in Charleston Harbor aboard the Zhen Hua 28 vessel after a two-month journey from China. SCPA’s crane purchases are part of a multiyear effort to further modernize operations and upgrade infrastructure to handle larger ships.

The cranes will remain at Columbus Street Terminal in downtown Charleston for several days before being transported to their permanent home at Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant. The new cranes will be assembled and commissioned behind the wharf; the cranes will then be moved to begin working ships at Wando Welch Terminal in early 2020.

“S.C. Ports Authority is excited to add three more ship-to-shore cranes, which will increase our berth productivity,” CEO Jim Newsome said. “Our investments in crane infrastructure equip us to handle the bigger container ships being deployed by ocean carriers today.”

The three new cranes will replace three of the existing cranes, which will move to North Charleston Terminal, meaning Wando Welch Terminal will have 11 cranes with 155 feet of lift height and one crane with 115 feet of lift height in 2020.

S.C. Ports will receive another four additional cranes with 155 feet of lift height in 2020 for a total of 15 such cranes operating at Wando Welch Terminal by the end of 2020.

“These modern cranes are incredibly tall and have a wider reach, enabling crane operators to seamlessly move containers back and forth on 14,000-TEU-and-above vessels,” SCPA COO Barbara Melvin said. “Bigger cranes are part of our strategy to ensure we run efficient operations and remain competitive in the era of big ships.”