Port of Charleston receives two super post-Panamax cranes

Larger vessels are expected to call the Port of Charleston from Asia with the recent opening of the larger locks at the Panama Canal and the port expects to handle its first 14,000-TEU vessel later this year.    The Port of Charleston received two super post-Panamax cranes Friday as part of a massive series of infrastructure upgrades to enable the handling of bigger cargo vessels, the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) said.
   In addition, the SCPA is strengthening its Wando Welch Container Terminal and working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deepen the main channel to 52 feet, giving 14,000-TEU vessels unrestricted tidal access to the port by the end of the decade.
   Larger vessels are expected to call Charleston from Asia with the recent opening of larger locks at the Panama Canal.
   The cranes, produced by Shanghai-based equipment manufacturer ZPMC, provide 155 feet of lift height from the dock to enable SCPA to work larger containerships.
   The cranes will be located at the Wando Welch Terminal, which is undergoing a $44 million project to strengthen and upgrade the wharf and infrastructure required for handling bigger vessels and cranes.
   Last month the SCPA Board of Directors approved the purchase of two additional cranes of this size for delivery at the end of 2017, coinciding with the completion of the wharf project.
   The SCPA said it expects to handle its first 14,000-TEU vessel later this year.