With less than two weeks remaining before the implementation of the Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) measures, and coming through a powerful first quarter, East Coast ports, including the Port of Virginia, show a decrease in container traffic for May. At the Port of Virginia, 219,398 TEUs moved at a 4.8% drop from May 2015 (230,511 TEUs). However, the port showed an increase in rail (+8.3%) and barge traffic, though truck moves (-1.2%) still accounted for almost two-thirds with 33% from the rail and 3% of traffic moving by barge.
Slowing in May was expected as the record-breaking numbers from 2015 reflected an inflation of containers that were diverted away from West Coast Ports that were at a standstill from labor disputes. Reports show that the July-June FY2016 show steady, moderate growth at +2.6% and the calendar year 2016 from January to June increase of 2% in handled TEUs. May TEU volume at the ports of Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, also fell, year over year: by 7.3% in Savannah and by 2.2% in Charleston.
The Port Authorities of Georgia, Houston, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have requested involvement in the discussion of how to best use OSHA standards of weight to comply with the VGM requirement since they control their own terminal operations. The port authorities of Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have all said they will offer free container weighing services so their shippers will be in compliance. As these ports have been weighing containers to comply with OSHA, they expect no delays or increases in cost once the mandate takes effect.
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