The mid-Atlantic port handled 235,511 TEUs of containerized cargo for the month, an increase of 7 percent from August 2015 and the busiest month in the port’s history, the Virginia Port Authority said in a statement.
The Port of Virginia set a record for container cargo in August, handling 235,511 TEUs of containerized cargo during the month, an increase of 7 percent from the same 2015 period, the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) said in a statement.
The authority noted that August was the seventh straight month in which container volumes exceeded 210,000 TEUs.
Exports at the mid-Atlantic port grew 3 percent from the previous year, while imports surged 12 percent, according to John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the VPA.
Rail units rose 20 percent year-over-year for the month, truck volumes ticked up 0.4 percent, and throughput at the Richmond Marine Terminal (RMT) rose 33 percent compared with August 2015.
RMT is a satellite ocean cargo facility about 95 miles inland on the James River in the state capital of Richmond that is served by a container-on-barge shuttle service managed by VPA’s terminal operator subsidiary, Virginia International Terminals. The shuttle service, which currently runs three times per week, helps the Port of Virginia maintain cargo fluidity by reducing pressure on storage, sorting and retrieval capacity associated with truck transfers at crowded ocean terminals.
In addition, truckers that shuttle containers between the port can make more revenue-generating trips each day, rather than driving a long distance to the waterfront for a delivery and sometimes having to wait in long lines to enter a port terminal.
Year-to-date, container volumes at the port have grown 2 percent compared with the first eight months of 2015; rail units are up 11 percent year-over-year; Virginia Inland Port volumes are up 10 percent; and Richmond Marine Terminal volumes are up 27 percent.
Reinhart, who took the reigns at VPA in 2014 and is widely credited with it’s return to profitability, said peak season cargo is moving and the port is on pace to exceed last year’s throughput total of 2.5 million TEUs.
“Our productivity across the operation continues to trend in positive territory and for the first time in our history, our monthly rail volume exceeded 50,000 units,” he said. “We are building our reputation on consistent delivery of service; we are on solid financial ground and we are gathering momentum as we move into a period of expansion and construction.”
According to Reinhart, the focus for VPA will be to “maintain the momentum and continue to improve in all phases of our operations” as the port undertakes several large construction projects designed to increase capacity and improve efficiency.
“The North Gate project at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) will create 26 new gates for trucks and be complete by mid-2017,” he said. “Prior to the North Gate project completion, we will break ground on a $350 million project at NIT that will add the capacity to handle 400,000 more containers annually – and do it more safely, swiftly and sustainably than ever before.
“Additionally, our re-negotiation of the lease at Virginia International Gateway is productive and we believe, nearing its final phase. We are executing our growth plan to be a sustainable operation, a reliable port partner and build the Port of Virginia as a preferred gateway for trade and economic development on the U.S. East Coast.”
Port of Virginia sets container throughput record in August
