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Port of Virginia reports new cranes, March throughput uptick and steady Portsmouth Marine Terminal activity
Summary
A Port of Virginia representative updated the commission that two new ship-to-shore cantilever cranes arrived for NIT (with two more expected), March volumes showed an uptick (reporting over 300,000 TEUs in the month), and the Portsmouth Marine Terminal continues handling offshore wind components with the vessel Charybdis making repeated outloads.
Mr. Donaldson briefed commissioners on Port of Virginia developments and noted several near-term operational milestones.
He said the Hampton Roads State of the Port event drew more than 500 attendees and that two cantilever ship-to-shore cranes arrived for North NIT with two additional cranes due in the months ahead. Mr. Donaldson said the cantilever design preserves adjacent flight paths and will help the port provide five ultra-large container berths by 2027.
On cargo volumes, he reported a March uptick and observed that the port handled "over 300,000 TEUs" in the month — among the busiest March volumes in the port’s history — while noting March patterns often reflect production cycles tied to the Chinese New Year. He also updated the commission on Portsmouth Marine Terminal activity: the Charybdis vessel has provided multiple outloads of components bound for offshore wind turbine installation, and staff expect a cadence of deliveries as the project continues.
Councilman Hugo asked whether recent global shipping disruptions (noted in the meeting as a closure of a shipping strait) had affected port operations; Mr. Donaldson said fuel-cost pressures are being felt across businesses that rely on fuel but that the port’s exposure to liquid bulk commodities is limited.
What’s next: staff will continue to monitor operational metrics and crane deliveries and report back as investments and construction progress.
