Print
Maritime

N.C. Ports Plans Another Turning Basin Expansion In 2019

By Christina Haley O'Neal, posted Nov 16, 2018
A ship nears the Port of Wilmington for service. (File photo)
To serve larger container ships coming into the Port of Wilmington, N.C. Ports is seeking to move forward with the second phase of its turning basin expansion.

Phase two of the turning basin expansion is part of N.C. Ports' $200 million capital improvements plan, according to Bethany Welch, spokeswoman for N.C. Ports. The second phase of the expansion is needed to allow the largest vessels calling the East Coast to “safely and more efficiently turn around in Wilmington’s harbor," she said.

To accommodate the growth, the turning basin expansion plan is to increase the basin from the 1,400 feet that it is today to 1,500 feet, said Brian Clark, N.C. Ports' chief operating officer, at the recent Cold Chain Summit held last week at the Wilmington Convention Center.

That expansion would be able to handle to handle up to a 14,000 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) vessel. Cost estimates for the basin expansion are still ongoing, Welch said.

“That’s almost the last step to allow us to handle these larger vessels that are already cascaded down the coast,” Clark said previously.

As part of the capital improvement plan, the first phase of the turning basin expansion was completed in August 2016, which included the removal of a bulk pier and dredging to expand the turning basin from 1,200 feet to 1,400 feet.

With ongoing berth improvements at the port (repairs and upgrades to its concrete docks), the first phase of the turning basin expansion and the addition of new cranes, the size of the ships arriving at the Port of Wilmington have been growing this year.

The largest to ever be serviced by the port, recently came through in late October.

The 10,000 TEU container ship ZIM Tianjin, which is part of the ZCP Service between Asia and Wilmington, came in at more than 1,100 feet long and 150 feet wide, according to the port. It was the second 10,000 TEU serviced by the Port of Wilmington in 2018.

“The additional expansion of Wilmington’s turning basin is one of many ongoing infrastructure improvements projects that will enable North Carolina Ports to tailor its growth to customers’ needs,” officials with N.C. Ports said in an email Friday. “These planned improvements at the Port of Wilmington will increase the speed and efficiency at which we are able to accommodate ultra-large container vessels.”

And the largest vessels are still yet to come.

The two neo-Panamax cranes that arrived at the Port of Wilmington in March, are able to handle ships up to 14,000 TEUs. And a third neo-Panamax crane is set to arrive in March and take about a month to become operational.

When that crane arrives, the Port of Wilmington will have a total of nine ship-to-shore cranes for its business; three neo-Panamax cranes, four post-Panamax cranes and two smaller Panamax cranes, Clark said.

In addition, N.C. Ports also aims to complete its berth improvements by next summer, which will allow the port to service two 14,000 TEU container ships at the same time, he said.

N.C. Ports officials hope to have the turning basin project completed by mid-2019, Clark said.

That's pending approval from the Army Corps of Engineers. And approval for the turning basin expansion could take several months, Army Corps officials said.

The port has submitted an application to the Army Corps of Engineers' Wilmington District seeking an authorization to modify the existing authorization order to conduct new dredging within the existing turning basin.

The project is open for public comment until Dec. 15, which will be utilized in the Corps of Engineers’ decision to issue, modify, condition or deny a permit for its proposal, according to a public notice.

The request comes from the port to “continue to service the European and Asian fleets as they continue to increase vessel size," stated the notice. Comments are used to assess impacts, including those on the environment, historic properties and water quality.

The current turning basin, located just north of the port berths, has been operating for 70 years and “construction of a new turning basin south of the berths would not be economically feasible and would adversely impact vessel operations for large vessels," stated the notice.

Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect that N.C. Ports' $200 million capital improvement plan includes investments at the Port of Wilmington and the Port of Morehead City.
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Untitleddesign7

Getting Your Community Ready for Spring and Summer

Dave Orr - Community Association Management Services
Headshots march websized 2

Is Your Commercial Roof Ready for April Showers?

David Grandey - Highland Roofing Company
Untitleddesign4

Paving the Way to Better City Streets

Tony Caudle - City of Wilmington

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

NCino's Fourth-quarter Earnings Signal Rebound From Liquidity Crisis

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 27, 2024

In The Current Issue

Q&A: Andrews Reflects On Leadership

Pender County Manager David Andrews is slated to retire this summer after 33 years in local government....


INFO JUNKIE: Jack Fleming

Jack Fleming, owner of Socialry Marketing & Scourz and emcee for 1 Million Cups Wilmington, shares his media and tech picks....


Expanding Tastes On Castle Street

As John Willse and Beth Guertin, owners of Wilmington Wine bottle shop and now the recently opened Creative Tastings restaurant on Castle St...

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments