Largest ship ever to visit East Coast making its way to S.C. port

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The S.C. Ports Authority expects to welcome the largest containership ever to call on not only Charleston, but the entire East Coast, later this month.

The CMA CGM Brazil, completed this year, carries up to 15,128 TEU, the industry measurement equivalent to a 20-foot container. It is 1,200 feet long, or the equivalent of four S.C. Statehouses side by side — or, if you stand the ship on its end, the Statue of Liberty stacked torch-to-toe eight times. It is roughly 167 feet wide.

The containership, which is sailing under the flag of Malta, originated in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It called on Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Thursday and is en route to New York, scheduled to dock on Saturday. It is then scheduled to sail to Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday and Savannah on Friday. The ship is expected to sail into Charleston Harbor on Sept. 20 and to remain at the Wando Welch Terminal through Sept. 21.

According to S.C. Ports, the CGM Brazil is saving the deepest port for last — Charleston is the vessel’s last U.S. port of call before it heads overseas. It will be at sea for a month before calling on Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and China.

S.C. Ports is tracking the ship’s progress online.