The Charleston Harbor Deepening Project got a boost from the federal government earlier this month when President Trump signed the FY2020 Energy and Water Appropriations bill into law, according to officials at the South Carolina Ports Authority. The bill included $138 million for the Charleston project, which began in 2018 and will deepen the harbor to 52 feet.

"This huge infusion of federal funding reflects the importance of ensuring South Carolina has a deep harbor capable of handling mega container ships," S.C. Ports Authority Board Chairman Bill Stern said in a December 20 statement. 

A 52-foot deep harbor will accommodate 19,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) container unit vessels, officials said.

The project, which is being paid for with a combination of state and federal funding, is scheduled for completion in 2021. The South Carolina General Assembly set aside $300 million for the project in 2012. It also received $108 million in federal appropriations from the Army Corp of Engineers' work plans as well as an additional $50 million loan from the state, officials also said.