THE expansion of container handling capacity at its two primary container terminals at the Port of Virginia has resulted in record cargo volumes moving across the facilities with higher efficiency during the month of May.
The port processed nearly 261,000 TEU during the month, 10 per cent more than in the same month last year and making it the busiest May in the port's history. The month's strong cargo volumes were a follow-up to the best April in the port's history, when nearly 246,000 TEU were processed.
May saw increases across almost all phases of the operation. Container tonnage was up more than five per cent; total rail volume up more than 4.4 per cent to 49,775 tonnes; total barge volume up more than 5.2 per cent to 4,441 tonnes; volume at Richmond Marine Terminal up nearly 11.6 per cent to 2,752 tonnes; and truck volume was up almost 10.7 per cent to 91,802 tonnes, report New York's MarineLink.
At the end of May, the port debuted the completed on-dock rail yard at VIG to a select audience of customers, partners, cargo owners and stakeholders. The rail yard now has nearly 20,000 feet of new track and is supported by four cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes.
The expansion at Norfolk International Terminals is progressing according to schedule. There are 12 new stacks served by 24 new RMGs already in service. Work on phase II of the stack yard expansion (six stacks) began in December 2018 and is nearing completion; work on phase III (six stacks) began this month; and phase IV

(six stacks) is set to begin in September, the port said.