We at the Port of Wilmington Cold Storage are extremely excited about the news of the dredging project that has been approved for the turning basing at the Port of Wilmington. This will allow the New Panamax vessels to service our port. Here is some of the information from the article…

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) –

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission unanimously approved a variance Tuesday enabling the N.C. Ports Authority to go ahead with a $16 million dredging project to enlarge existing ships’ turning basin to accommodate larger container vessels, according to CRC Chair Frank Gorham.

According to the variance materials, the present 1,200-foot turning basin at the Port of Wilmington will be expanded to 1,400 feet so the port can service vessels in the New Panamax class that will be calling on the port in 2016.

New Panamax, which is larger than the Panamax vessels the port currently serves, refers to a class of vessels having a size up to 1,200 feet in length and 160 feet in width. The New Panamax designation is related to a present day, ongoing expansion of the Panama Canal’s lock system.

To read the entire article, please see the link below.

http://www.wect.com/story/30719435/port-of-wilmington-approved-for-16-million-dredging-project