The Port of Virginia began fiscal year 2016 by handling 226,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in July and in doing so marked the fifth consecutive month of TEU volume exceeding 210,000 units, the company said in its press release.
In July, the port saw an increase in TEU volume of nine percent, or 18,217 units, when compared with the same month last year. Truck volume grew by six percent and rail volume by 15 percent – the second highest month ever at the port for total rail containers.
The port started work on the first of those capital projects on July 22, when it hosted US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Gov. Terry N. McAuliffe and Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey L. Layne for a ceremonial groundbreaking on the expansion of the North Gate at Norfolk International Terminals. Foxx and the governor also broke ground on the I-564 Intermodal Connector during the same ceremony. Combined, the projects will increase truck velocity through NIT’s north gate, remove a significant amount of daily truck traffic from Norfolk city streets and provide motor carriers with direct, safe access to Interstate 564.
The port is also executing short and long-term plans to upgrade each of its marine terminals and its inland facilities. Moreover, it is investing in personnel and technology in order to improve service and build capacity for what it expects are continued increases in volume.
About The Port of Virginia
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 the Port of Richmond. In fiscal 2013, The Port of Virginia provided more than 374,000 jobs and generated $60.3 billion in total economic impact throughout the Commonwealth.