Leatherman Terminal Closes August 1: How Charleston Vehicle and Equipment Exporters Should Reroute Now
SC Ports pauses Leatherman Terminal on August 1, 2026. Charleston-area container exporters must reroute to Wando Welch, Savannah, or another gateway now. Here is what to do before the deadline.
SC Ports confirmed Leatherman Terminal stops all container operations August 1, 2026. For most Carolina-origin shippers, Savannah is the most effective reroute option, offering comparable transit times and strong direct service on South America and West Africa lanes with minimal added cost. Act this week.
What exactly is changing at Leatherman on August 1?
SC Ports announced on June 26 that Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston will pause all container operations effective August 1, 2026, less than five weeks from announcement. Container activity shifts to Wando Welch and North Charleston terminals. Any booking still tagged to Leatherman after that date has nowhere to go.
FreightWaves reported that SC Ports cited trade uncertainty in the second half of 2026 and cost reduction as the drivers. SC Ports called it a short-term pause, but no restart date has been published. Whether it is a pause or a permanent closure, the operational reality is the same: Leatherman will not load your container in August.
Five weeks sounds like runway. It is not. Factor in booking lead times, inland drayage scheduling, and the time needed to update export documentation, and you are already behind if you have not started. Exporters with open bookings, cargo staged near a Leatherman-area CFS, or units moving on inland rail toward this terminal need to act now.
Is Savannah the best reroute for most Carolina-origin shippers?
For most Charleston-area shippers, Savannah is the most effective alternative, not just a fallback. It is closer than Newark, cheaper to reach than Houston, and carries strong direct weekly service on the South America and West Africa lanes that Charleston exporters rely on most. In many cases it is a near-seamless switch.
Additional drayage from Charleston-area origins to Savannah typically runs roughly $150 to $300 per container above what you were paying to reach Leatherman. That is a known, manageable number. Transit times on South America and West Africa trades out of Savannah are comparable to what you had through Charleston. The ocean leg does not change in any meaningful way.
Savannah also gives you an important buffer: it is not absorbing the same flood of displaced Leatherman volume that Wando Welch is. Wando is the obvious first move for shippers who want to stay inside the Charleston complex, but displaced volume will tighten that terminal fast. If your loading window is late July or early August, Savannah may actually give you better vessel availability than Wando on your specific trade lane.
The one thing to verify before committing to Savannah is your carrier's port rotation. Not every service string calls both Wando and Savannah. Confirm in writing that your carrier calls Savannah on your trade lane before rebooking. If they do not, you are looking at a transshipment, which adds time and cost you did not budget for.
Does Wando Welch absorb your cargo, or do you need a different gateway?
Wando Welch is the right first call if your cargo is not yet staged, your origin is in the Carolinas, and your carrier's service string calls Wando on your trade lane. It is in the same port complex, drayage from Carolina origins changes minimally, and most carriers that called Leatherman also call Wando. That makes it a fast, low-friction pivot for many shippers.
The catch is congestion timing. Displaced Leatherman volume will flood Wando over the next few weeks. Carriers prioritize existing accounts and early bookings; last-minute requests on high-demand vessels get rolled or waitlisted. If your loading window is late July or early August, confirm vessel availability and terminal assignment this week. Do not assume your carrier moves you automatically.
Shippers with cargo on inland rail toward Leatherman face the sharpest immediate risk. Rail ramp timing and drayage patterns feeding Leatherman need to be redirected to Wando or North Charleston now. Confirm with your drayage provider and rail carrier that the cargo will arrive at the correct terminal gate. A unit showing up at the wrong terminal the day before cutoff is not a problem anyone solves gracefully under that kind of pressure.
When does Newark or Houston make sense instead?
Newark and Houston are worth pricing when Wando and Savannah are booked out on your sailing window, your carrier does not call either port on your trade lane, or your cargo origin already sits closer to another gateway. The drayage and ocean freight math differs significantly by port, so verify current rates from your actual origin ZIP before committing.
Newark adds more cost and more inland transit time from Carolina origins. Drayage from Charleston-area origins to Newark runs roughly $250 to $400 more per container, plus one to two additional days inland. The trade-off is carrier coverage: Newark has stronger frequency on Europe lanes and some Middle East services. If your cargo is heading to Northern Europe and your carrier's Europe string does not call Wando or Savannah, Newark may be worth the premium. Run the numbers first.
Houston only makes sense if your cargo origin is already central or western, or if you are moving heavy equipment on a Gulf-routed service. Drayage from the Carolinas to Houston is not competitive. If you have construction equipment staged in Texas or Louisiana, price it. Our ocean freight services cover all four gateways, so you can compare options without switching forwarders.
Which export lanes are least disrupted by the switch?
South America and West Africa lanes face the least disruption for shippers who move to Savannah. Both trades have strong weekly direct service from Savannah, and transit times are comparable to what Charleston offered. The primary added cost is the drayage uptick, not the ocean leg. Straightforward math.
Europe lanes are similarly manageable. Savannah and Newark both carry solid weekly service to major European ports. Shippers may need to shift their loading schedule by a few days to match a different vessel departure, but there is no meaningful carrier gap on this trade. The question is which gateway gives you the best combination of vessel frequency and drayage cost from your specific origin ZIP.
Middle East and Asia lanes are the most carrier-specific, and this is where you need to verify before rebooking. Not every carrier's Middle East or Asia string calls both Wando and Savannah. Confirm your carrier's updated port rotation in writing before committing to an alternate gateway. If the service string does not call your chosen port, you are looking at a transshipment, which adds time and cost. Middle East transit typically runs three to five weeks; Asia three to six weeks. A transshipment port can eat a week of that buffer.
Heavy equipment on flat rack or breakbulk is case-by-case. For a crane, excavator, or oversized unit, vessel type and berth availability matter more than port preference. Evaluate Houston or Newark depending on where the cargo sits and which service the carrier operates.
What do you need to do before August 1?
Five steps: identify every affected booking now, pull revised sailing schedules, get side-by-side drayage and ocean freight quotes from your actual origin ZIP, update your export documentation, and confirm the physical transfer plan for any cargo already staged near Leatherman. None of these should wait until the last week of July.
Step one: pull every open booking or in-transit shipment tagged to Leatherman and confirm the vessel and terminal assignment with your forwarder today. Step two: check sailing schedules for Savannah, Wando, and Newark to find the next viable loading window on your trade lane. Vessel space at Wando will tighten quickly; Savannah is worth checking in parallel.
Step three: get apples-to-apples quotes, drayage plus ocean freight, from your actual origin ZIP to each alternate gateway. A $200 drayage difference can flip the math on which port wins. Step four: update your export documentation. The port of export on your EEI/AES filing and bill of lading must reflect the new terminal. Filing the wrong port of export is a compliance error; fix it before the cargo moves, not after it loads. Confirm current EEI/AES requirements with your licensed customs broker or CBP before filing, as regulations can change.
Step five: if your cargo is already sitting at a Leatherman-area CFS or container yard, confirm the physical transfer plan with your drayage provider and CFS immediately. Who is moving it, when, and to which facility. Terminals do not volunteer to solve your logistics problems on a tight deadline. You have to drive that process. Lock current gateway rates before space tightens further by requesting a quote through our [ocean freight services](/services/ocean-freight) page.
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Frequently asked questions
When does Leatherman Terminal stop container operations?+
Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston stops all container operations effective August 1, 2026, per SC Ports' announcement on June 26, 2026. No restart date has been published. Any booking still assigned to Leatherman after that date needs to be rerouted immediately.
What is the best alternative port for Charleston-area exporters after Leatherman closes?+
For most Carolina-origin shippers, Savannah is the most effective reroute. It avoids the congestion that will build at Wando Welch as displaced Leatherman volume shifts over, carries strong direct weekly service on South America and West Africa lanes, and adds only roughly $150 to $300 per container in additional drayage. Wando Welch is the right call if your carrier does not call Savannah on your trade lane and space is available.
Do I need to update my export documentation when switching ports?+
Yes. The port of export on your EEI/AES filing and your bill of lading must reflect the actual terminal where the cargo loads. Filing the wrong port of export is a compliance error. Update the documentation before the cargo moves, not after it loads. Confirm current EEI/AES requirements with your licensed customs broker or CBP, as rules can change.
Is Savannah competitive with Wando Welch on transit times for common trade lanes?+
On South America and West Africa lanes, yes. Transit times out of Savannah on those trades are comparable to what Charleston offered. The added cost is the drayage leg, roughly $150 to $300 per container from Carolina origins, not the ocean leg. On Europe lanes, Savannah also has solid weekly service; shippers may shift loading by a few days to match a different vessel departure, but there is no meaningful carrier gap.
What should shippers with cargo already on rail toward Leatherman do right now?+
Contact your rail carrier and drayage provider immediately to redirect the shipment to Wando Welch or North Charleston. A unit arriving at the wrong terminal the day before cutoff cannot be resolved quickly. Confirm the updated destination in writing with both the rail carrier and the drayage provider before the cargo reaches the ramp.
Sources
Aleksey Anikin leads export operations at Seaway Export, overseeing vehicle and heavy-equipment shipments from U.S. ports to destinations across South America, Europe, the Caucasus, and the Middle East.