Virginia ports handle record container volumes in 2015

Container terminals managed by the Virginia Port Authority handled 2.5 million TEUs last year, a 6.5 percent increase compared with 2014.    The Virginia Port Authority said its container terminals handled 2,549,270 TEUs last year, 6.5 percent more than in 2014.
   “In 2015, we moved 156,000 more TEUs than we did in 2014, which until now, was our most productive year on record. The growth is significant – 13,000 TEUs a month, on average – and we have responded with improved throughput in all facets of the operation. We are now focused on the future: adding capacity and cargo conveyance equipment, making greater use of technology and strategic planning,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority.
   In December, the port handled 197,039 TEUs, a drop of 3 percent when compared with the prior year.
   Last year, the port handled a total of 295,719 short tons of breakbulk cargo, 9.9 percent less than in 2014. In December, breakbulk tonnage stood at 26,145 tons, 21 percent more than in 2014.
   In 2015, the number of containers moving to and from the port by rail was 484,081, an 8 percent increase, and the number of containers moving by barge was 47,606, a 16.4 percent decrease.