The Opening of the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal in Charleston Leads to Increased Capacity and more robust Direct Sailings to Europe and the Middle East.
April 9th, the South Carolina Port Authority welcomed its first vessel to the newly established Hugh K Leatherman Terminal. The terminal’s opening comes just as reports show that Charleston experienced a year-over-year March increase of 50 percent in imports and an 8.2 percent increase in exports. In addition to adding 700,000 TEU’s of throughput capacity, the terminal also features a six-acre refrigerated cargo area enabling the port to handle more temperature-controlled cargo.
The opening of the new terminal has also meant opening the door to more direct sailings to Europe and the Middle East. Charleston Ports are becoming a viable port of origin for U.S. exporters focusing on the Trans Atlantic trade lane with transit times to Europe as short as nine days and rates competitively low.