Freight News, Sea

Charleston Harbor Deepening Project Reaches Significant Milestones

[ December 23, 2015   //   Gary G Burrows ]

The week of December 18th proved to be big for the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) with the signing of the PreConstruction Engineering and Design (PED) Agreement and passage of the omnibus appropriations bill with construction funding Charleston. This marked significant milestones for the 52-foot Charleston Harbor Deepening Project.
PED is the final major phase of the deepening process before construction begins, with work activities to include ship simulation studies, refinement of cost estimates, coastal monitoring and analysis of beneficial use of dredged material. Utilizing initial federal funding appropriated in July, PED work is already underway and is expected to be substantially completed by the end of next year.
“The container shipping industry’s deployment of big ships is evident, and the Southeast needs a harbor deeper than 50 feet to accommodate fully-loaded post-Panamax container ships,” said SCPA president and CEO Jim Newsome. “At 52 feet, SCPA will be able to handle vessels of this size without tidal restriction and continue volume growth above the national average. We thank the USACE for their tireless efforts and look forward to the timely completion of PED followed by significant progress on construction by the end of the decade.”
The Deepening Project also received positive news with Congress’s passage of the omnibus appropriations bill. The bill includes necessary funding for construction of harbor deepening, as well as operations and maintenance dollars, that allow the Project to continue moving forward without delay.

Tags: South Carolina Ports Authority