Charleston Moves Largest Container Ship
July 20, 2011
CHARLESTON, SC – July 20, 2011 – South Carolina welcomed the largest container ship to ever call the Port of Charleston when the MSCBRUXELLES docked at the Wando Welch Terminal on Wednesday.
The 109,000-ton ship is more than 1,100 feet long and 150 feet wide. It can carry the equivalent of nearly 9,200 twenty-foot long shippingcontainers (TEUs) and has a maximum depth of 49 feet.
Jim Newsome, president & CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority,said this latest record-setting vessel demonstrates what is happening in the shipping industry now and into the future.
“Big ships are here today, and more are coming,” said Newsome. “Basedon the attractive economics, carriers will continue to deploy largerships in ports with the infrastructure to efficiently handle them. With deep channels and a $1.3-billion capital plan — including a newterminal — Charleston will continue to strengthen its capabilities tohandle big ships.”
Today, Charleston routinely handles post-Panamax ships actually drawingup to 48 feet, with the benefit of the tides. This year the portexpects more than 200 post-Panamax vessels, or ships too big for theexisting Panama Canal, and the Corps of Engineers recently started thenext phase of a future deepening project. Even more big ships areexpected on the U.S. East Coast following completion of the Panama Canal expansion project in 2014.
The BRUXELLES is operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), theworld’s second-largest container shipping line and a major employer inthe Port of Charleston. The ship is deployed on MSC’s “Golden GateService” between the U.S. East Coast and China, Southeast Asia and theMiddle East.
The vessel arrived from Norfolk and sails to Freeport before heading back through the Suez Canal.
About the South Carolina Ports Authority
The South Carolina State Ports Authority, established by the state’s General Assembly in 1942, owns and operatespublic seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, handlinginternational commerce valued at more than $50 billion annually whilereceiving no direct taxpayer subsidy. An economic development enginefor the state, port operations facilitate 260,800 jobs across SouthCarolina and nearly $45 billion in economic activity each year.
