Southeast Inland and Seaports; Norfolk’s Banner Year!

The Port of Virginia handled 226,000 TEUs in July which is 9% higher than any other July in the history of the port, Virginia Port Authority Chief Executive Officer John F. Reinhart confirmed. This also includes a marked increase in trucking and rail cargo, which in July were up 6% and 15% over 2014, respectively.

The port has handled 1.47 million TEUs since January 1st and it’s expected to continue to outpace previous years as retail season begins and numbers continue to climb until November.
The Southeastern ports in the US are currently the fastest growing in the country, while also paying special attention to expanding their reach by intermodal, to give shippers the bonus of avoiding some trucking costs and capacity shortages that are plaguing the west coast ports.

Because of their current success, both Georgia and South Carolina are planning to build more inland ports. The boon from inland ports comes from local industry that feeds the inland port, which in turn funnels the traffic down to the port of export to load on a vessel. With a strategically place inland port, containers and truck traffic are reduced at the shipyard and the flow of goods in and out are organized away from the vessel, making time and cost savings a priority.

Earlier this year, the Virginia Port Authority commended the inland facility’s performance, promising to make this a template for future growth in other areas of Virginia. Port officials assessed capacity and capital at the inland port to consider plans for upgrades. Cutting down drayage costs and minding the clustered hubs of logistics providers including Nelson International, inland ports are minding a highly specialized part of the shipping process with little waste. In Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia, they’re becoming so successful that more inland ports, further up the east coast are planned to funnel more goods down south. The south is unique in that it suffers less stoppage due to winter weather.

We can help monitor shipments in your supply chain and determine your need for an inland port that serves your preferred port of loading, saving you time and money on shipments. Utilizing the boom of the Southeast and the coming changes in inland moves is our passion when creating shipment solutions. Nelson International is strategically placed in Norfolk to reap the benefits of working with a world-class port and rail system for all our client’s needs.