Port of Virginia sets box volume record in October

The Mid-Atlantic port continues to handle much more cargo than a year ago, in part due to cargo diversion from the West Coast.    The Port of Virginia set a new monthly container record in October with 233,466 TEUs moving across its docks, up 5.6 percent from the same month last year, the Virginia Port Authority said last week.
   October marked the eighth consecutive month of TEU volumes exceeding 210,000 units, putting the port on track for a record year in volume. Through the first 10 months of 2015, TEU volume is up 8.5 percent, or 167,761 units ahead of last year for the same period.
   Imports were flat in October, but export container volumes grew 9.8 percent to 129,296 TEUs.
   The port authority said intermodal rail traffic in October was up 2.3 percent (43,062 lifts), truck volume was grew 3.9 percent, breakbulk tonnage was up 26 percent (28,174 tons), and vehicle units were up 217 percent (4,325, the most since October 1988).
   The Port of Virginia at times over the past two years has had trouble dealing with the surge in volume, some of which has resulted from cargo diverted by shippers from the West Coast earlier this year because of concerns about delays there. The port authority has worked with the cargo community to reduce some of its own delays and has infrastructure plans in place, such as adding a new gate complex for trucks at the north end of the Norfolk International Terminal, to further increase efficiency.
   “We are executing our plan to be a reliable port partner and build the Port of Virginia as a preferred gateway for trade and economic development,” Chief Executive Officer John Reinhart said in a statement. “We have implemented a sustainable business model and we are now beginning to capitalize on it.”
   The port received 179 ships in October, the most since December 2007.