The port saw increases in the movement of loaded imports, up 3 percent; empty export TEUs, up 10 percent; growth in barge volume, up more than 18 percent; and the amount of cargo moving over Richmond Marine Terminal, up 19.5 percent. Truck volumes were up 2 percent and rail volume was static. “We look at how we served our customers and what we accomplished, so 2019 was landmark year for The Port of Virginia,” said John Reinhart, CEO and Executive Director of the Virginia Port Authority. “We had a very successful year, having set a new record for volume, though our growth was not as much as we had planned. Trade thrives in a predictable environment and the tariffs created some uncertainty across the industry that had an effect on our year-end totals, but we don’t measure success only in terms of cargo volume. Throughout the year we made significant gains on our projects. We debuted an expanded Virginia International Gateway (VIG) in June, got underway with our dredging effort that will make Virginia the deepest port on the U.S. East Coast in four years and are on track and on budget to bring the expansion of Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) to a close in late 2020.” Reinhart also pointed to the port’s expanding role in driving economic investment and job creation throughout the Commonwealth. In 2019, the port was instrumental in helping to generate more than 3,500 new jobs and the development of nearly 5 million square feet of space that had a total investment value of USD2 billion. “We are listening to our customers, cargo owners and partners and always looking for new, innovative ways of moving their cargo with greater velocity and doing so safely,” Reinhart said. “When we do this well, we build confidence with the ocean carriers and cargo owners, volumes expand and businesses grow. That growth equates to economic investment and new jobs for Virginia.”
December is the half-way mark in fiscal year 2020 and thus far the TEU volumes is 1,483,509 units; gate volumes are up 2.3 percent; loaded imports, up 3 percent; and barge volume up 18.6 percent. The calendar year was completed with December TEU volumes of 224,902 units, a decrease of 6.7 percent when compared with last December. Also in December, Richmond Marine Terminal volume was up 29 percent; loaded exports, up nearly 4 percent; and total barge volume up almost 19 percent. “The accomplishments of 2019 are a tribute to our team and our port partners,” Reinhart said. “The cargo we handle is important and we know we can always improve in our delivery of service to all of the port’s users and customers. We will continue to do those things that will make 2020 another landmark year at The Port of Virginia.”