{"id":8243,"date":"2016-11-07T04:24:27","date_gmt":"2016-11-07T04:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minutes.machine.market\/?p=8243"},"modified":"2016-11-07T04:24:27","modified_gmt":"2016-11-07T04:24:27","slug":"8243-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/machine.market\/blog\/8243-2\/","title":{"rendered":"New Port of Charleston $27m ZPMC super post Panamax Cranes will be commissioned Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new super post-Panamax cranes towering over the Wando Welch Terminal<\/strong>‘s waterfront are among the most visually striking symbols of the State Ports Authority<\/strong>‘s readiness for oversized container ships visiting here via an expanded Panama Canal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the ship-to-shore behemoths will be the focus of a celebration complete with fireworks and a special light show as they are commissioned to begin work at the Mount Pleasant<\/strong> terminal.<\/p>\n

Jim Newsome<\/strong>, the SPA’s president and CEO, called the two cranes “a milestone for our port” when they were delivered in August. Built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries<\/a><\/strong> of China, the $27 million cranes are 155 feet tall with an outreach of about 200 linear feet. They are capable of handing a fully loaded ship carrying 14,000 cargo boxes – the largest vessels able to fit through the canal.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThey are integral to our future and represent a big step forward in our strategy to remain competitive in today\u2019s big-ship environment,\u201d Newsome said.<\/div>\n

Wednesday’s event will be held on the dock between the new cranes, which will be illuminated with special lighting while Newsome speaks to a crowd of dignitaries including the SPA’s board of directors, past directors, elected officials, port customers, maritime companies and the cranes’ makers. A brief light show will follow, with a fireworks display afterward.<\/p>\n

The SPA also sponsored will announce the winning names from its “name the crane” contest that was held for local third-grade to fifth-grade students. The winning monikers will be painted on the cranes.<\/p>\n

The event runs 6 to 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

The cranes are part of a $2 billion capital-improvement plan designed to accommodate large container ships that are replacing smaller, older vessels carrying cargo to and from the Port of Charleston<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Among the planned improvements are a new container terminal under construction at the former Navy Base<\/strong>in\u00a0North\u00a0Charleston and a project that will dredge\u00a0Charleston Harbor<\/strong> to 52 feet, making it the deepest shipping channel on the East Coast<\/strong>. Both projects are scheduled for completion by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n

Late last month, the port shipped off the last two containers cranes at its Columbus Street Terminal<\/strong>, which now handles automobiles and other types of heavy, loose cargo. A Dubai company bought them as a set for $3.9 million to use in Canada.<\/p>\n