Port of Virginia box throughput in July slips 3.6%

The mid-Atlantic port attributed the year-over-year decline in container throughput in July to a realignment of some vessel services calling the port.    The Port of Virginia handled 217,910 TEUs in July, a 3.6 percent decline from July 2015, resulting from a realignment of some vessel services calling the port, the Virginia Port Authority said.
   Exports reached 114,715 TEUs while imports totaled 103,195 TEUs, year-over-year declines of 6.5 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.
   “Fewer vessels in July and the stress put on export volumes by the strong dollar are among the primary drivers behind our July performance,” Virginia Port Authority CEO and Executive Director John F. Reinhart said. “Still, we are in positive territory on a calendar-year basis, our financial picture is positive, peak season is coming and we just had two port-users announce regional projects that will add to our cargo volumes.”
   Following the call of the 10,000-TEU MOL Benefactor last month, thanks to the expanded Panama Canal, the port set its latest new record for the biggest vessel to call its port a few weeks ago with the arrival of the 10,300-TEU Hyundai Saturn.
   Both vessels serve on the G6 Alliance’s NYX loop between Asia, Central America and the East Coast of North America, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting.
   Overall, since the start of 2016, the Port of Virginia has handled 1.5 million TEUs, a 1.1 percent increase from the corresponding period last year.