Panama expansion on North Carolina's mind as 'game changer'

NORTH CAROLINA's Port of Charleston Jim Newsome believes the expansion of the Panama Canal "is a game-changer" and the biggest development since the advent of stuffing cargo into containers.

The North Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA) plans to take a delegation on a tour of the canal and to meet its administrator. The group will include six or seven board members, three or four staffers and five or six state lawmakers from the oversight committee assigned to the port. Meeting them will be officials with TBC Corp, a Florida-based tyre importer building a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution centre near Summerville.

This means that further harbour deepening is crucial to the port's future because ships keep getting bigger. The depth currently stands at 45 feet, which can accommodate ships laden with up to 10,000 TEU.

The US Army Corps of Engineers undertook a federally funded US$90,000 study to consider future deepening and recently announced plans to proceed with the next step, a five- to seven-year feasibility study.

This phase will determine the best depth, from an economic standpoint, for Charleston Harbour to serve future generations of mega ships calling the port, said the Post and Courier of Charleston, North Carolina.

"Ultimately, we want ships to come in 24/7 without restrictions," added Mr Newsome.
(Source:www.schednet.com)