SC Ports’ Leatherman terminal opening

Everything is ready for the opening of the first container terminal in the US since 2009, the South Carolina Ports’ Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal (HLT).

“This project is more than 20 years in the making, and we look forward to offering the same reliable service and additional capacity to our customers as we welcome ships to HLT,” said SC Ports in the announcement.

Phase 1 of HLT opened in April 2021, and the terminal is scheduled to host its first ship this Friday.

The Leatherman Terminal sits along the Cooper River in North Charleston, S.C. The terminal has five ship-to-shore cranes with 169 feet of lift height and 228 feet of outreach with the ability to handle 20,000-TEU vessels, 25 hybrid rubber-tired gantry cranes, eight empty container handlers, a refrigerated container yard, a new operating system and enhanced technologies.

The Leatherman Terminal complements efforts to modernize Wando Welch Terminal and deepen Charleston Harbor to 52 feet. These investments will enable S.C. Ports to handle four 14,000-TEU vessels simultaneously in 2021.