Cargo volume up 4% at Port of Virginia

The Port of Virginia finished its fiscal year on a strong note, with cargo volume up 4 percent and expansion work completed at the port's Virginia International Gateway, officials said this week.

The port handled 2.9 million twenty-foot equivalents in fiscal year 2019, ended June 30, officials said. Import loads were up more than five percent, truck volume was up nearly 4 percent, and barge volume was up nearly 10 percent for the year.

"All of this was accomplished while we were under construction at VIG (Virginia International Gateway) and NIT (Norfolk International Terminals), and it was done with a continuous emphasis of safety," according to John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. "Our volumes are increasing and we are processing that volume with greater efficiency because we have completed the optimization at VIG, where we are on-line and fully operational."

Reinhart added that the port is halfway through the NIT expansion project. Twelve new container stacks served by 24 new rail-mounted gantry cranes are already in service at NIT, with more stack work scheduled for completion later this year.