Virginia Port Container Traffic Upswing Continues into 2013

The Virginia Port Authority reports container throughput at its Hampton Roads maritime terminals totaled 158,766 TEUs in January, an increase from a year ago of 2.9 percent, or 4,466 TEUs. 

"This was a great start to our calendar year; rail volume was up 10 percent for the month and continues to help drive our growth," said Rodney W. Oliver, PPM®, the VPA’s interim executive director. "We are optimistic about the remainder of the fiscal year and are glad the uncertainty surrounding the ILA Master Contract negotiations appears to be behind us." 

The general cargo tally of 1,317,975 short tons was up 4.2 percent. That includes containerized (+4.8 percent) and breakbulk cargo (-18.4 percent).

The number of containers shipped in and out of the port by rail and between Hampton Roads and Richmond via the 64 Express barge service dropped 24.1 percent in January to 407, a result, the VPA says, of "some barge users having drawn-down production at year's end.”

Other January data reported by the VPA point to declines of 3.7 percent in ship calls, 2 percent in vehicle units, and 11.3 percent in container volume at the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal.

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