VIDEO: Stevens Towing unveils giant Marine Travelift

Stevens Towing Company's new Marine Travelift is 70 feet high by 87 feet wide and is capable of lifting 820 tons.

Family-owned Stevens Towing Company, yesterday launched into service one of the largest Marine Travelifts in the Southeast. The giant lift, 70 feet high by 87 feet wide, is capable of lifting 820 tons and can handle barges up to 60-feet wide. It is entirely American made. Assembly and installation of the lift took several months, (though the time lapse video below speeds that up considerably).

Stevens Towing based on Yonges Island, South Carolina, just south of Charleston, provides repair services for vessels across the east coast, including in the Port of Charleston, which was recently deepened to 52 feet to allow the passage of larger ships.

“We are honored to welcome partners and leaders from our community to christen our Marine Travelift,” said Stevens Towing Company President Johnson Stevens, in a ceremony much like a ship christening. “This is a huge accomplishment for our business, and will help us continue our legacy of providing good jobs and supporting the maritime industry here in Charleston. In addition to the significance this has for our business, it’s also near and dear to our family’s hearts. We’ve named this lift Susan G. in honor of my mother, and it stands next to our other lift named for my late father, Captain Bill. We are so grateful to everyone who helped make this a reality.”

The lift was made possible in part by a bi-partisan coalition of South Carolina elected officials offering their support in obtaining a $1,378,575 Small Shipyard Grant from MARAD. Key supporters included Congressman Jim Clyburn, Senator Tim Scott, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, State Senator Chip Campsen, and Meggett, S.C., Mayor Buster Herrington.