South Carolina Ports (SC Ports) announced the reopening of the Leatherman Terminal. Starting on 26 September at 8 a.m. (local time), SC Ports will restart operations at the Leatherman Terminal gates to receive containers, in preparation for a significant weekly Asia service launching early next month.
Israeli ocean carrier ZIM is set to introduce its ZCP service at Leatherman Terminal, offering shippers a vital weekly connection between Asia and the US Southeast consumer market with the first-in-Asia call.
“The reopening of Leatherman Terminal is a monumental day for our world-class port system. In partnership with the ILA, employers and the greater maritime community, we are thrilled to once again provide excellent port service at Leatherman Terminal for the benefit of our ocean carrier and cargo owner customers,” stated Barbara Melvin, SC Ports President and CEO.
The LNG-powered ZIM Mount Blanc, with a capacity of 15,000 TEUs, is scheduled to arrive at Leatherman Terminal on 6 October.
“This weekly service is the first of many to come as we resume operations at Leatherman Terminal, providing more capacity and fluidity for the U.S. East Coast port market. This first-in-call from Asia is a significant competitive advantage for shippers moving goods through the Port of Charleston,” added Melvin.
Leatherman Terminal, the newest ocean terminal to open in the United States in over a decade, adds 700,000 TEUs of capacity to Charleston Harbor, with the potential to reach 2.4 million TEUs at full build-out.
The ZIM ZCP service, operated by MSC and Maersk, provides direct calls to Charleston along a route that includes Qingdao (China), Ningbo (China), Shanghai (China), Busan (South Korea), Kingston (Jamaica), Savannah (United States), Norfolk (United States), and back through Kingston, Busan, and Qingdao.
