The New Leatherman Terminal on Track for 2021 Opening

South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) has presented an update on the new Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal which is being built on the old Navy Base in North Charleston along the Cooper River.

According to SCPA, the new terminal is on track to open in spring 2021, marking the first new container terminal to open in the U.S. in a decade.

Construction of Phase One is progressing and recently hit a significant milestone — half of the piles have been driven for the wharf, reported the company.

Upon completion, the 134-acre Phase One will have a 1,400-foot wharf, five 169-foot-tall ship-to-shore cranes and 25 hybrid rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes.

“The first berth of the Leatherman terminal is set to open in 2021 in conjunction with the completion of the Charleston Harbor deepening project,” S.C. Ports Authority president and CEO Jim Newsome said. “Achieving these long-term, crucial infrastructure projects will ensure we have the capacity to the handle cargo increases that accompany larger ships calling on the Port.”

Full buildout of the three-berth Leatherman terminal is expected to wrap in 2032; the 286-acre terminal will have the capacity to handle 2.4 million TEUs of cargo.