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Choppy waters for ocean shipping
What a difference a year makes. In March 2022, ocean freight rates were at record highs, with capacity straining under the weight of historic U.S. import demand. High inventories and economic uncertainty prompted importers to pull back over the summer months, and volumes slowed. A spectacular rate collapse in the ocean freight m[...]
Going greener
The Port of Virginia is preparing for a greener future that includes less reliance on fossil fuels. It’s doing this by expanding its access to cleaner energy such as solar power; replacing older, diesel-fueled equipment with hybrid and all-electric alternatives; and supporting the region’s burgeoning offshore wind industry. [...]
Port cranes: Cause for concern?
The Port of Virginia may have as many as 30 Chinese ship-to-shore cranes that have come under scrutiny from Pentagon officials over national security concerns. Five more cranes are scheduled for delivery next year. Manufactured by state-owned company Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., known as ZPMC, the cranes are a possible[...]
Executive insights
Leaders from Virginia’s maritime sector share their thoughts about building a workforce pipeline in Virginia, the growth of offshore wind and how climate change impacts the industry. JUDY BARRETT Virginia Maritime Association board president; TowneBank private banking officer; Norfolk VB: As president of VMA’s board, what’s your main priority this year? Barrett: My main priority […]
Westward ho!
Southwest Virginia’s leaders feel confident their region will be home to the state’s next inland port. “The planets are aligning for us right now,” says state Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Washington County. “Our localities are excited about it. The state seems to be excited about it.” During the Virginia General Assembly’s[...]
Port of entry
By all accounts, the Port of Virginia and the overseas shipping industry as a whole are major economic drivers in the commonwealth, with an upward trajectory expected to continue. For fiscal year 2022, the port’s TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) container volume hit a record 3.7 million units, a 14.7% increase from 2021, which ma[...]
Fed Fifth District economy shrinks slightly
The economy in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) has contracted slightly since March, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book[...]
Hampton Roads Shipping Association taps new president
The Hampton Roads Shipping Association has named Jeremy Bridges its new president, effective May 1. Bridges will succeed Roger Giesinger, who has led the nonprofit, Norfolk-based trade association for the past 28 years. Giesinger, who announced his retirement last year, will stay on as president emeritus for a brief transition period. Bridges comes to HRSA […]
At max capacity
Supply chain and logistics executives used to joke that no one knew or understood what their jobs were — that is, until the COVID-19 pandemic upended how goods were transported to warehouses and ultimately to customers. “Until you start to look behind the scenes, you don’t know how all of this gets to your door […]
Feds say Chinese cranes used at Port of Va. could be spy tools
The Port of Virginia may have as many as 30 Chinese ship-to-shore cranes that have come under scrutiny from Pentagon officials over national security concerns, and the port has five more on delivery for next year. The cranes made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., known as ZPMC, a state-owned company whose major sharehold[...]
CMA CGM America’s Ed Aldridge to retire
Ed Aldridge, president of CMA CGM America and American President Lines LLC, will retire on Dec. 6, and Peter Levesque, who was previously Ports America Group’s president, will take over those roles, the French container ship company announced Wednesday. Aldridge took over as president of CMA CGM America in 2020 and has bee[...]
Carnival to double trips from Norfolk, proposes year-round cruising
Carnival Cruise Line announced Monday it will more than double the number of cruises it offers from Norfolk in 2023 and is working toward year-round cruising from Norfolk in 2025. Stephen Kirkland, executive director of Nauticus, shared the news from Norfolk’s cruise terminal that overlooks the harbor where ships dock, adj[...]
