Hampton Roads Port to get big bump in cargo from New York

The port of Hampton Roads expects to get a significant amount of diverted cargo from the Port of New York and New Jersey, which remained closed Wednesday and still without power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy,

"We're going to get 1,000 containers tomorrow and 1,100 automobiles," Joe Harris, spokesman for the Virginia Port Authority, said Wednesday.

"Because of the volume of stuff we're looking at, we're looking at dusting off Portsmouth Marine Terminal and putting it into use."

The terminal has been closed for nearly two years, following the start of the authority's lease arrangement with APM Terminals Virginia.

The Journal of Commerce, a trade publication, reported Wednesday that the terminals in New York Harbor could stay closed for at least another day as port officials wait to find out the scope of the damage and for the return of electrical power.

The majority of the cargo diverted to Hampton Roads is likely to be trucked to the New York area, where about 85 percent of the freight that normally lands there stays, said Joseph Ruddy, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Virginia International Terminals Inc. The company operates the Port Authority's facilities.

He said many of the affected ships would have been stopping in Virginia anyway.

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/