Deep dive

The Port of Virginia has set the stage to offer the widest and deepest harbor on the East Coast by 2025, with the recent widening of Thimble Shoal Channel West allowing for two-way traffic for all vessels, including ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs).

Completed in March, the shipping channel is now as much as 1,400 feet wide in some areas, allowing for two ULCVs to pass at the same time. Previously, the U.S. Coast Guard had one-way restrictions in the area. The widening, which began in 2019, reduces the time large vessels spend on berth by up to 15%.

That’s coupled with the ongoing dredging of the channel and Norfolk Harbor to 55 feet deep, with an ocean approach to 59 feet deep, the only channel on the East Coast with congressional authorization for that depth. Deeper channels can accommodate vessels with deeper drafts, enabling the port to handle a wider range of ships and cargo types, says Cathie J. Vick, the port’s chief development and public affairs officer.

Shipping companies are putting much larger vessels in their East Coast port rotations. The ULCVs coming through the Port of Virginia, though, don’t need to be concerned about channel width, overhead draft restrictions, capacity or cargo handling infrastructure.

The wider channel allows for consistent vessel flow, contributes to greater berth and container yard efficiencies and further improves harbor safety. In addition, the port is quick to load cargo. The turnaround time to load a truck is about 30 minutes. Loading cargo onto a train takes about 36 hours.

The entire dredging project was initially expected to be finished by the end of 2024. However, federal permits allowing local beach replenishment using the dredged material, had to be renewed, delaying completion until fall 2025. Once work is finished, the Port of Virginia will possess the deepest and widest channels on the East Coast.

This is just one part of the port’s $1.4 billion strategic infrastructure investment package to accommodate larger cargo volumes on ULCVs, which have become more frequent port visitors in recent years. The widening and entire dredging costs $450 million, according to Vick. “It will increase the speed of cargo moving through the gateway,” she adds.

Some $72 million of that $450 million is federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The federal government and the port agreed to split the cost in 2015 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began evaluating the potential economic value of expanding and upgrading the port.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, Virginia’s senior senator, says the project is 20 years in the making and will benefit the port “for years to come. The infrastructure bill is the first big one to happen since the Eisenhower administration, when the interstate system was built. We limped along on making improvements, but the money didn’t allow for big projects like this one.”

The Port of Virginia has also been working on developing Craney Island into a major marine terminal to handle container, bulk, and break-bulk cargo. Upgrades planned for Norfolk International Terminals include new ship-to-shore cranes and an expansion of its central rail yard, set for this year, cementing Virginia’s status as home to the East Coast’s largest intermodal rail port.

“The target is for shipping companies to choose to come to Virginia first when coming to the East Coast,” Vick notes.

Virginia Pilot Association President Capt. Whiting Chisman says the wider channel will provide container and Navy ships with safer travel conditions. This is an even bigger consideration following the March 26 container ship collision with Baltimore’s Key Bridge, which has led to Baltimore-bound ships being diverted to the Port of Virginia and other East Coast ports.

The short-term environmental impact of the dredging will be minimal, according to Joe Rieger, deputy director of restoration for the nonprofit Elizabeth River Project, which supports the environmental health of the river and its role in the local maritime economy. Rieger evaluated the dredging plan because the Elizabeth River is part of the port’s main shipping channel. Dredging and widening is not taking place in shallow water, six feet or less, where the most productive sea life is found, he notes. Benthic organisms, also known as bottom feeders (like worms and shellfish), are typically found at higher densities in shallow water and are the base of the marine food chain. Since the dredging is deepening waters already at 45 feet to 50 feet deep, there’s limited environmental impact.

 “As long as they are not going into shallow water,” he says, “there is no threat.”

Scott Swan, the David L. Peebles Professor of Business at William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business, applauds the port taking action to ensure future growth.

“This is a major and impressive feat and unusual for the government to do something before there’s a problem. The port is being proactive and customer-focused,” Swan says. “They have been for 10 years. … It’s amazing they can pull it off. Saving 15% on their time when a vessel is at berth will save money, making the port a profitable choice.

“It’s a large cost savings for these ultra-large container vessels, making the port a better option than others along the East Coast. No other port on the East Coast will have this combination of width and depth.”