Port of Virginia marks expansion progress
Written by Stuart Chirls, senior editor, Railway Age
Photo: Port of Virginia
Expansion projects at the Port of Virginia to accommodate larger ships and increased container traffic are on schedule.
The port handled 236,893 TEUs in May, off 4% from a year earlier as it limited empties traffic in order to boost cargo flows during expansion at Virginia International Gateway and Norfolk International Terminals.
Loaded import containers totaled 108,592 TEUs, up 8%, in May.
The port is directly served by CSX and Norfolk Southern.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Port officials, industry stakeholders and port officials gathered this week to mark the halfway point of theVirginia International Gateway expansion project.
At VIG, a new terminal operating system and three new container stacks are coming online. The port expects to power up its fleet of 26 new rail-mounted gantry cranes for testing as soon as installation of the rails is completed.
A project to deepen Norfolk Harbor’s channels from 50 to 55 feet awaits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ final report. The Virginia General Assembly in early June approved $350 million for the project.
Virginia is the only port on the U.S. East Coast with congressional authorization for 55-foot channels.
