Port relies on high-tech cranes to speed flow of cargo

In a matter of minutes, crane operator Bruce Luzier has made three trips out over the hulking cargo ship and carefully placed his load, one container at a time, on the dock.

Luzier is perched in the operator’s cab 115 feet above the Wando Welch terminal in Mount Pleasant. Looking straight down between his feet through a glass floor, he effortlessly controls the $10 million machine. Using his fingertips and uncanny hand-eye coordination, Luzier is among the slickest crane operators in the country.