ICL moves port calls to Wilmington, N.C.

ICL moves port calls to Wilmington, N.C.

Independent Container Line Ltd. will move one of its U.S. ports of call from Richmond, Va., to the Port of Wilmington, N.C., in March.

   The company’s four ships are deployed in a transatlantic loop that also call Chester, Pa.; Antwerp; and Liverpool. The last ICL departure from Richmond will be on March 19 and first arrival at Wilmington on March 26.

   ICL said it is moving down the coast to call closer to customers, many that are located in the U.S. Southeast and have to move cargo a considerable distance by truck or rail to reach Richmond. While Richmond is about 200 miles from Chester, Wilmington is about 460 miles from Chester.

   Key sectors that use ICL’s service include the automotive and construction equipment industry, as well as the high-tech, textiles, chemical and forest products trades.

   While ICL said it has been pleased with port operations in Richmond, it noted that reaching the port requires a daytime transit up the James River. Richmond is about 100 miles from Cape Henry and about 78 miles above Newport News.

   ICL’s corporate headquarters will remain in Richmond.

“The Port of Wilmington’s strategic geographic location also allows them to extend their market scope to one of the fastest growing states in the country,” said Thomas J. Eagar, North Carolina State Ports Authority chief executive officer. “North Carolina is currently the 10th most populous state, and projected to become the seventh largest by 2030.”

   The four ICL vessels in the service each have a 1,450-TEU capacity and are 550 feet long.