Port of Virginia hits new TEU highs

   The Port of Virginia achieved its best TEU throughput for the first half of a calendar year with 1.054 million standard shipping units processed between January and June, the Virginia Port Authority said Tuesday.
   The port’s volume represented a 6 percent increase over the first half of 2012.
   The Port of Virginia, which has undergone a tumultuous two-year reorganization motivated by a slow initial recovery of business after the recession, also posted a record performance for its fiscal year ending in June with 2.165 million TEUs handled, up 10 percent from fiscal year 2012.
   Besides the improving economy, the VPA attributed growth to more first-in and last-out vessel calls preferred by shippers, and expanded intermodal connections and service to new markets.
   In June, the port handled 175,864 TEUs, a 4.4 percent increase from the prior year and the best June on record. Export TEUs grew 3.8 percent to 93,020 and import TEUs were up 5.1 percent to 89,635. Rail volume for the month increased 7.6 percent year-over-year. – Eric Kulisch