Port reports another cargo record for August

The Port of Virginia had its busiest August on record last month.

The port handled 240,605 TEUs, or 20-foot equivalent units, last month. That is a 2.2 percent increase over August 2016.

On a year-to-date basis, total TEU volumes are up 7.4 percent and containers up 7.7 percent. During the same time period, cargo moved via rail was up 4.7 percent, trucks up 9 percent and barge up 26 percent.

The port is undergoing construction projects at its two largest terminals that ultimately will expand capacity of the port by 40 percent. Construction also is ongoing at the port’s Virginia International Gateway terminal in Portsmouth. Civil work is taking place at Norfolk International Terminals. The port said Friday that heavy construction on the south-side container stack will begin toward the end of peak season.

The numbers from August:

• Loaded export TEUs, down 11 percent
• Loaded import TEUs, up 5.5 percent
• Containers, up 3 percent
• Virginia Inland Port Containers, down 10 percent
• Truck containers, up 5 percent
• Rail containers, down 0.7 percent
• Total barge containers, up 1.5 percent
• Richmond Marine Terminal barge containers, up 16 percent
• Newport News Marine Terminal Automobile imports, up 101 percent