Port of Virginia box volumes set all-time monthly record in October

The total volumes included 127,000 import TEUs and nearly 139,000 export container loads, growth of more than 11 percent compared with the same month last year, according to data from the Port of Virginia.    The Port of Virginia set a new all-time record for containerized cargo throughput in a single month with 265,490 TEUs in October, the mid-Atlantic port revealed Nov. 9.
   The total volumes included 127,000 import TEUs and nearly 139,000 export container loads, according to Virginia Port Authority CEO and Executive Director John F. Reinhart.
   October’s TEU volume broke the previous record set in May 2017 by 18,619 TEUs, or 7.5 percent. The amount is growth of more than 11 percent compared with the same month last year, according to port data.
   Now, with two months remaining in the year, total TEU volumes are up 7.9 percent compared to the same period in 2016. Additionally, container volumes are up 8.2 percent; rail, up 4 percent; trucks, up 10 percent; and barge volume, up 28.5 percent, port statistics show.
   “Our breakbulk tonnage increased nearly 12 percent and automobile imports jumped nearly 103 percent,” Reinhart said.
   Additionally, peak season volumes, brought by ultra-large container vessels, are steady and are trending to continue through December, Reinhart said.
   The port’s total export TEUs of 138,933 were a rise of 14.3 compared to October 2016, according to the port, while the total import TEUs of 126,557 were an increase of 8.1 percent. The total amount of containers moved, 149,595, was up 11.6 percent, according to the port.
   Also rising year-over year were the number of truck containers –up 14.4 percent to 94,304; rail containers up 3.9 percent to 50,441 units; total barge containers – up 45.6 percent to 4,850; and vehicle units, up a whopping 102.9 percent to 2,295.
   “Through our strong month-on-month performances, we are building our brand and reputation domestically and internationally as the Mid-Atlantic global gateway for cargo of all types,” Reinhart remarked.