South Carolina Ports is awaiting the arrival of five new ship-to-shore cranes for the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, which is on track to open in March, the South Carolina Ports Authority said in a statement.

The new cranes are among the tallest on the United States East Coast. They will have 169 feet of lift height above the wharf deck and an outreach of 228 feet, enabling them to work the biggest container ships calling on the USEC.

The cranes, fabricated by Shanghai-based ZPMC, are heading to SC Ports on two vessels.

The Zhen Hua 36 is carrying the first shipment of two ship-to-shore cranes; it is scheduled to arrive Monday, October 26.

The Zhen Hua 24 is carrying the second shipment of three ship-to-shore cranes, as well as four hybrid rubber-tired gantry cranes. This shipment is scheduled to arrive Tuesday, November 3.

The Zhen Hua 24 is carrying three SC Ports’ ship-to-shore cranes and four rubber-tired gantry cranes, all of which are for the South Carolina Ports' Leatherman Terminal in Charleston. The vessel is scheduled to arrive Nov. 3. (Photo/GBBI)

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The cranes will first stop at Columbus Street Terminal in downtown Charleston for about two days to be reconfigured to fit under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. They will then make their way up the Cooper River to the state-of-the-art Leatherman Terminal.

“The Leatherman Terminal is designed to handle 19,000-TEU vessels, giving SC Ports great capacity and big-ship capabilities to serve our customers,” SC Ports CEO Jim Newsome said. “We look forward to welcoming the first ship at the Leatherman Terminal in March.”

Upon arrival, ZPMC USA will complete assembly and commissioning of the five new ship-to-shore cranes over several months. The cranes will then stand on the new 1,400-foot wharf, ready to load and unload cargo boxes from container ships when Phase One operations launch in March.

“We are thrilled to see the amazing progress happening at the Leatherman Terminal every day,” SC Ports COO Barbara Melvin said. “The arrival of our new ship-to-shore cranes highlights that our terminal is inching closer to its March opening. Our SC Ports engineering team, our great partnership with ZPMC, and the unmatched collaboration with our project partners have made this possible.”