Construction work has begun on the port of Charleston's new container terminal on the site of the former Charleston Navy Base in South Carolina, US.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony this month, chairman of the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) Bill H Stern called the inauguration “a historic day for the SCSPA, this region and the entire state of South Carolina.”
Scheduled to be built in phases over the next decade, the 280-acre terminal, when completed, will increase the port's container handling capacity by 50%.
The $500 million first phase of the terminal is expected to be operational within the next six years and will increase container throughput by 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
SCSPA has spent $5.3 million and the last four years seeking permits from regulatory and government agencies before receiving the go-ahead.
It is committed to spending some $10 million in environmental and community projects, including $2.5 million for the restoration of features such as tidal marshes and oyster reefs.
Construction of the new container terminal comes amid increasing container business at Charleston.
SCSPA announced on Tuesday that it had signed a new four-year agreement with the New World Alliance (NWA), securing current business and adding a new weekly service through the Suez Canal to South East Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
The NWA includes major global carriers American President Lines (APL), Hyundai Merchant Marine Co and Mitsui OSK Lines.
SCSPA also announced last week that the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world's second-largest container carrier, has signed a new five-year agreement with SCSPA, which could mean more than 230 ship calls per year.
This new agreement confirms MSC as one of the port's largest customers.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony this month, chairman of the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) Bill H Stern called the inauguration “a historic day for the SCSPA, this region and the entire state of South Carolina.”
Scheduled to be built in phases over the next decade, the 280-acre terminal, when completed, will increase the port's container handling capacity by 50%.
The $500 million first phase of the terminal is expected to be operational within the next six years and will increase container throughput by 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
SCSPA has spent $5.3 million and the last four years seeking permits from regulatory and government agencies before receiving the go-ahead.
It is committed to spending some $10 million in environmental and community projects, including $2.5 million for the restoration of features such as tidal marshes and oyster reefs.
Construction of the new container terminal comes amid increasing container business at Charleston.
SCSPA announced on Tuesday that it had signed a new four-year agreement with the New World Alliance (NWA), securing current business and adding a new weekly service through the Suez Canal to South East Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
The NWA includes major global carriers American President Lines (APL), Hyundai Merchant Marine Co and Mitsui OSK Lines.
SCSPA also announced last week that the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world's second-largest container carrier, has signed a new five-year agreement with SCSPA, which could mean more than 230 ship calls per year.
This new agreement confirms MSC as one of the port's largest customers.