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Vehicle carrier makes first call in Charleston

Aug. 20, 2007
Charleston Regional Business Journal
By Dan McCue
The hulking MV Faust, which entered service May 27 as a member of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen fleet, made its maiden call earlier this month to the Port of Charleston.

Only weeks earlier, the ship-which has the capacity to carry up to 8,004 cars on 13 decks-had been in the possession of its maker, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering of South Korea.

“Here she is, our newest and largest pure car-truck carrier. In fact, it’s now the largest car carrier registered in Sweden,” said Anthony Perez, operations manager for Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s Charleston operation. “It’s so big that width-wise it just barely fit through the Panama Canal. But the really exciting attributes of the ship are all inside.”

As Perez and his party stood at the top of the ramp at the stern of the ship, one of those other attributes was instantly evident: its series of six movable decks that allow for a wide variety of storage options.

On this morning in Charleston, the lowest of the movable decks had been raised to just feet below the deck above it, allowing for the transport of several buses bound for offloading in Brunswick, Ga., and a number of large tractors and construction vehicles, many of which were coming ashore in Charleston.

“This ship is very adaptable,” said Joakin Carlsson, one of 21 Swedish crewmen on board for the ship’s maiden trans-Atlantic journey. “It doesn’t matter what kind of vehicle you want to ship, we have lots of flexibility.”

In fact, in addition to automobiles and tractors, other Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessels have transported military aircraft and helicopters and, on one occasion, a space shuttle.

Charleston shines among ports Prior to arriving in Charleston, the MV Faust and its crew stopped at the Port of New York and New Jersey and the Port of Baltimore. After its stop in Georgia, it begins its nine-day journey back to Europe, where it will visit eight ports before beginning its trans-Atlantic odyssey all over again.

“All told, it’s about a five-week endeavor, making the entire circuit,” said Captain Bjorn H. Larde.

Larde, who’s been a seaman for the last 30 years and a captain for about four, said he particularly likes to visit Charleston because it’s an easy harbor to traverse and because the port terminals are close to the open ocean, compared with other ports.

“Getting to the Port of Baltimore, for instance, takes about eight hours in the company of the river pilots who guide you to the terminal,” he said. “The Port of Savannah takes about three hours, while the Port of Charleston, only one.”

“Time is money,” Perez interjected as the captain nodded his agreement. “Timing is everything in the shipping business.”

The other benefit of calling on the Port of Charleston Union Pier terminal is it is right in the heart of downtown, within easy walking distance of a supermarket, restaurants and other stores.

“There’s a beautiful city just beyond the terminal gate,” Larde said. “Most ports around the world are very remote and you have to rely on a taxi or bus to get you anywhere.”

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