South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) has received two ship-to-shore cranes for Wando Welch terminal, completing its fleet of 15 new ship-to-shore cranes with 155 feet of lift height.
The cranes were produced by Shanghai-based manufacturer ZPMC and delivered aboard the Zhen Hua 35 to Charleston Harbor, SCPA informed.
The ship-to-shore cranes are said to offer 155 feet of lift height above the wharf deck and 212 feet of outreach, capable of extending over 24 boxes wide on a container ship.
They will be fully assembled over the coming months in preparation of working vessels at Wando Welch terminal early next year.
“ Our new fleet of 15 … ship-to-shore cranes enables SC Ports to handle three 14,000-TEU container ships at one time at Wando Welch Terminal ”, said Jim Newsome , CEO at SCPA. “Combined with the additional berth at the new Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal , SC Ports can now seamlessly handle four 14,000-TEU container ships simultaneously”.
As informed, SCPA invested more than two billion dollars in port infrastructure in recent years, including around $500 million to modernize Wando Welch terminal.
Enhancements of the three-berth Wando Welch terminal include 15 ship-to-shore cranes and a stronger wharf, 65 rubber-tired gantry cranes, and a total of 2.4 million TEUs of annual throughput capacity to handle growing cargo volumes.
“We embarked on an ambitious program in 2015 to modernize Wando Welch terminal to handle neo-Panamax container ships. Our new ship-to-shore cranes are a crucial part of that effort. Our investments add 700,000 TEUs of capacity to Wando Welch terminal, a great benefit to our customers who need capacity and fluidity in the supply chain now more than ever” , Newsome added.