The Port of Virginia® moved 225,196 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in April, which is growth of 4.6 percent when compared with the same month last year. The port has handled at least 220,000 TEUs every month since October 2016, the company said in its press release.
The continued growth came as Virginia’s governor, transportation secretary, commerce and trade secretary and representatives of the OCEAN Alliance’s members welcomed the COSCO Development, which at 13,092 TEUs, is the biggest containership to ever call Virginia and the U.S. East Coast. After transiting the Panama Canal, the ship made its first East Coast port stop on May 8 at Virginia International Gateway where a ceremony was held to mark the historic event. Following the ceremony, more than 500 people from the across the region, industry and government toured Norfolk Harbor to see the vessel being worked.
The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VPA owns and through its private operating subsidiary, Virginia International Terminals, LLC (VIT), operates four general cargo facilities Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Newport News Marine Terminal and the Virginia Inland Port in Warren County. The VPA leases Virginia International Gateway and Richmond Marine Terminal. In fiscal year 2013, The Port of Virginia provided more than 374,000 jobs and generated $60.3 billion in total economic impact throughout the Commonwealth.