‘New Tango’ Service Brings More Post-Panamax Ships to Port of Charleston
The South Carolina Ports Authority said Oct. 20 it received the first ship call from a new consolidated East Coast-South America service that brings additional post-Panamax vessels to the Port of Charleston.
The “New Tango” weekly service includes Hamburg Süd/Aliança and Hapag-Lloyd/CSAV ships, and two carriers, NYK and Yang Ming, that are new to the port’s post-Panamax trade.
Post-Panamax vessels are ships that are too large to pass through the Panama Canal even after its planned expansion, which is due to be completed by 2016.
The deployment of larger ships in the service provides the opportunity for Charleston to grow container volumes, SCPA said. Prior to the development of “New Tango,” Charleston received seven post-Panamax calls weekly.
“This service will increase the frequency of post-Panamax vessels calls to Charleston, and with additional ship capacity, we expect to boost our volumes in this important trade route,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA’s CEO.
“Consolidations like the ‘New Tango’ reflect the importance of deepening the Charleston harbor to 52 feet in order to provide unrestricted access to our container terminals,” he said in a statement.
Top cargoes in the trade with Brazil and Argentina include tires and auto parts, agricultural commodities, food products, forest products, manufacturing inputs and beverages.
All seven ships in the “New Tango” service are post-Panamax in size, including the Monte Rosa, which arrived at Charleston’s Wando Welch terminal and holds about 5,550 20-foot equivalent units.
