Virginia port posts container gains in May

   The Virginia Port Authority on Tuesday reported a 12.6 percent gain in container volume and a 59 percent increase in breakbulk tonnage in May compared to the prior year.  
   The Port of Virginia handled 178,584 TEUs in May, while year-to-date throughput has increased 4.3 percent, to 826,297 TEUs.
   Breakbulk tonnage was 25,161 tons in May, and for the year is 153,415 tons, an increase of 24 percent.
   Intermodal volume grew 21.6 percent, to 33,221 containers, versus May 2011 and is up 13 percent for the year, to 148,794 containers.
   Virginia’s container-on-barge service between Richmond and Hampton Roads is also gaining popularity, with 144 percent growth, to 1,019 containers transported in May. The short-sea shipping service has grown 97 percent in the first five months of the year, to 3,994 containers, versus 2,023 containers handled during the same period in 2011.