Arrival of Hyundai Hope draws large crowd in Southport

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — Many cheered along the Southport waterfront as the Hyundai Hope honked its horn and made its way through the canal.

People who came to the riverfront to watch the monster of a ship pass through say they wanted to be a part of history.

“It’s a beautiful day and we’re looking forward to this historical voyage up the river to Wilmington,” Southport Resident Linda Thornton said.

They say they’ve seen their fair share of ships come through the river.

“But this is the largest one to come through the area and it’s the first one to go to Wilmington of its size,” Southport Resident George Blair said.

The Hope is the largest ship to ever come to port in North Carolina at just under 1,200 feet long and can carry up to 16,000 containers.

North Carolina State Ports Authority Chief Operating Officer says this is huge.

“This is a major milestone,” Brian Clark said. “This is what we as a port have been working towards for a number of years.”

He says many infrastructure projects in the past few years have made this possible.

“Without those projects this vessel, quite literally, would not physically fit in the port. So it’s exciting to see it all come to fruition” Clark said.

Starting in July, similar sized vessels will be coming to port regularly.

Importing things like consumer goods and exporting things like agricultural supplies.