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Harder, better, faster, stronger
On March 20, 1922, the U.S. Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier: the USS Langley. A century later, the Navy is hosting centennial events around the country, including in Norfolk, where the USS Langley was converted into the Navy’s first carrier from the USS Jupiter, the Navy’s first electrically propelled sh[...]
Tilting toward windmills
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A.’s October 2021 announcement that it will build the nation’s first offshore-wind blade factory at Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) has put Hampton Roads on a trajectory to become a supply chain hub for the country’s nascent offshore-wind energy industry. The Spanish wind turb[...]
Sound investments
Let’s simply call it a magazine publisher’s reality check. When news reports of supply chain disruptions and record backups at West Coast ports began to appear last year, I immediately thought, “What’s going on at the Port of Virginia?” When I leave downtown Norfolk, it is almost always via the Midtown Tunn[...]
Amazon be nimble, Amazon be quick
When it comes to building warehouses and distribution centers, one company has sought out Virginia over and over again: Amazon.com Inc. The e-commerce giant began opening facilities in Virginia in 2006 and since then has opened more than 30 facilities in the commonwealth, with more on the way as it seeks to shrink the time [&hel[...]
A fair trade?
While President Joe Biden will likely strike a more diplomatic tone with China than his predecessor, economists and other observers believe the United States’ rocky trade relationship with its biggest economic rival will remain contentious — which will impact Virginia’s economy. Under former President Donald Trump,[...]
Making it rain
For Hanover County Economic Development Director Linwood Thomas, things couldn’t get much better. “It’s really been a perfect storm,” Thomas says. That storm — the good type — is a deluge of distribution centers and warehouses that have opened recently or are currently in the pipeline for the county of about [...]
The largest yard
In a year when the world stood still, forcing businesses to adjust, the shipbuilding industry in Hampton Roads was told from the start to keep working. In early spring 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic raised the question of who qualified as “essential personnel,” the U.S. Navy made one thing clear — that designation definite[...]
The Port of Virginia
By 2024, the Port of Virginia expects to be the deepest port on the East Coast at 55 feet, with room for two-way traffic for some of the world’s largest vessels. The port has six terminals and has invested more than $1 billion in infrastructure since 2015, producing 390,000 port-related jobs across the state, $23 […]
Maritime Guide 2020
Welcome to the Virginia Maritime Guide 2020! Below is a table of contents to direct you to all articles that appear in the guide. On deck — With the Navy rebuilding its fleet, maritime industry is hiring thousands Executive profiles — We asked leaders in Virginia’s maritime and logistics industry for their thoughts on the […]
Viral load
Like a canary in a coal mine, the Port of Virginia felt the impact of COVID-19 well before others in Virginia started to feel it. In February, the port saw a 9% drop in cargo compared with February 2019, a decrease attributed in part to the outbreak’s origins in China. In 2018, China was the […]
Executive profiles
We asked leaders in Virginia’s maritime and logistics industry for their thoughts on the Port of Virginia expansion and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on shipping. Click to expand photos. Interviews follow. VB: How will the Port of Virginia expansion impact Virginia’s economy? Adams: The Central Chapter encompasses the area around Richmond and is […]
