Car Carrying Collosuses

 

Eureka! We found an excellent view of an Eukor vessel at Charleston’s Columbus Street terminal a few weeks ago. 

The top floor of the city parking garage near the popular South Carolina Aquarium offers this view and others of the Holy City’s skyline. 

Morning Linda! How are you today?Are you ready for another trans- Atlantic voyage? 

The internet says the ship flies under the flag of Panama, but I see the United States flag over the O in Eukor in the photo below. 

Morning Linda is in the Vehicles Carrier category of vessels. These ships are commonly called Ro-Ros, for roll-on, roll-off. Measuring 232 meters long, 32 meters wide, Morning Linda was built in 2008. Those meters equate to 761 feet long by 105 feet wide. The length is almost 254 yards, or nearly 2.5 football fields. That’s a walk from bow to stern! 

Awaiting their turn to roll on Morning Linda or the next car carrier that calls on this port are hundreds of freshly made BMW SUVs made in the German manufacturer’s plant in Greer, S.C., 215 miles away. 

Volvo vehicles are also lined up, ready to go to destinations around the world. Volvo cars and SUVs are also made in South Carolina at a plant west of here off Interstate 26 approximately 39 miles away in Ridgeville. 

How many cars can this car carrier carry? Online sources say this many: 8,011 give or take. 

A while later during our walk along Charleston’s waterfront, another huge vehicle vessel steamed into the harbor, heading perhaps to the State Ports Authority’s Welch Terminal seen on the left side of this photograph. Or it could be making a u-turn up the Cooper River to take Morning Linda’s spot at the Columbus Street Terminal once she heads to sea. 

The ARC Independence is United States ship whose home port is in Wilmington, N.C. ARC stands for American Roll-On Roll Off Carrier. 

It was built in 2009 and is slightly shorter than the Morning Linda at 747 feet long. The Independence is sometimes recruited for military service by the 82nd Airborne missions coming from Fort Bragg, N.C. 

Check out this YouTube video for a look at life aboard the ARC Independence.

Along with the BMW and Volvo plants, other vehicles are also manufactured in South Carolina: Mercedes Vans in North Charleston and Polestar 3 EV SUVs at the Volvo site n Ridgeville. In 2027 Scout Motors electric SUVs and trucks will begin production in Blythewood near Columbia. 

Tires are also big business. South Carolina boasts 12 manufacturing plants that put out major brands such as Michelin (North American headquarters is in Greenville), Bridgestone, Firestone, Continental and Giti. 

Exporting vehicles, tires, not to mention South Carolina-made Scout and Sea Fox boats make Charleston’s port one of the nation’s biggest and busiest.