Nelson International Blog.

May of 2019 has officially become the busiest May on record at the Port of Virginia. Thanks to the expanded handling abilities, container throughput capacity and enhanced efficiencies 206,000 TEUs moved though the port in May. The month also unveiled the newly finished railroad tracks for the on-site rail yard with 20,000 feet of new track and 4 cranes.

The numbers for this month are outstanding with total TEUs up over 10% and the total number of containers up more than 8% from May 2018. Container tonnage, rail volume, barge volume, and truck volume were all up this month as the new infrastructure starts to reveal capability.

“Our rail reach into the Midwest is expanding and we are aggressively marketing our capabilities. It is realistic to expect that we will be moving 40 percent of our overall cargo volume by rail by 2022,” says John F. Reinhart, the CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority.

“We are on our way to another volume record for fiscal year 2019 and closely monitoring the trade environment for any effects that additional tariffs may have on our business as we go forward,” Reinhart said. “These unforeseen changes are always of concern, but we are very optimistic about the long-term success of The Port of Virginia. To help ensure sustainability in the near- and long-term, we are working to diversify our cargo mix and this strategy will serve as a hedge during challenging trade environments.”