November Project Update

VIG & NIT PROJECT UPDATE November 2018

VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY UPDATE

In June 2018, The Port of Virginia accepted the final load of 26 new rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes at VIG, where $320 million is being invested to expand operations. These cranes will support operations in 13 new container stacks. As of November 1, 2018, there will be 10 new stacks placed into operation. The first newly-configured rail bundle is now operating, served by two semi-automated cantilever rail-mounted gantries (CRMGs). VIG’s inbound truck interchange offers four newly-constructed lanes. An 800-foot expansion of VIG’s wharf will be completed by late November. This project will expand VIG’s annual throughput capacity from 650,000 units to 1.2 million container units; a 550,000 unit capacity increase.

VIG expansion overview 10/15. FROM RENDERING TO REALITY. In less than a year, the $320 million expansion of Virginia International Gateway (VIG) will be complete: the truck gate, berth, container stack yard and rail cargo operation will all have been expanded and supported by new equipment and 21st-century technology.

VIG and its sibling marine terminals are all now unified under the same terminal operating system. Following two years of preparation, Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) saw the introduction of Navis N4 in 2014, which set the stage for the near-seamless transition this summer at VIG.

The port is lengthening the berth at VIG by 800 feet. The added length creates the capacity to accommodate as many as three ULCVs at once.

The port’s reach by double-stack rail into the nation’s heartland is unparalleled and as more ULCVs come to Virginia, there is an increasing demand for rail service. At VIG, the terminal offers on-dock, double-stack rail service by Norfolk Southern and CSX and their service will be enhanced as a result of a complete rebuild of the terminal’s rail operation. The expansion will double the capacity of the existing operation and use new, highly efficient cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes to move the cargo.

VIG PROJECT UPDATE TIMELINE

May 2018 - VIG, NIT, RMT, PMT all on single operating system, N-4
June 2018 - First portion of expanded rail tracks placed in service. PRO-PASS truck reservation system live at VIG 0100-1000
September 2018 - 4 new inbound gate lanes open
November 2018 - 11 of 13 new container stacks online. Wharf extension complete
January 2019 - All 13 new container stacks in service. Delivery of 4 new STS cranes
March 2019 - New STS cranes in service
June 2019 - Rail expansion complete. VIG Phase II Expansion complete

NORFOLK INTERNATIONAL TERMINALS UPDATE

In January 2018, construction on the historic $375 million NIT expansion got underway, with project completion expected by mid-year 2020. The centerpiece of the expansion is the construction of 30 semi-automated container stacks at NIT South, served by 60 newly-constructed rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes. By January 1, 2019, 12 of NIT’s new RMG stacks will be in service. This project will expand NIT’s annual throughput capacity by 400,000 container units, going from 850,000 to 1.25 million container units; a 46% percent increase.

There are three phases to NIT’s expansion. The outcome will be 30 new container stacks.

The RMG operation is linear and there can be more than 1,500 containers in a single stack. The RMGs at NIT are electric, dramatically reducing emissions, fuel consumption and noise.

The expansion will achieve its goal of greater density at NIT by transitioning away from diesel-driven container movement and to an electric, safer and more space-conscious method of container handling and stacking.

NIT PROJECT TIMELINE

January 2018 - Container stack construction begun
March 2018 - Upgraded PRO-PASS truck reservation system live at NIT 0500-1100
October 2018 - First three container stacks with new RMG cranes placed in service (beginning of Phase I)
November 2018 – Three additional containers stacks with new RMG cranes placed in service (6 of 30)
December 2018 – PHASE II construction begins. Six RMGs delivered (24 of 60). Three additional container stacks with new RMG cranes placed in service (9 of 30)
February 2019 - 12 new RMG container stacks in service (12 of 30 stacks complete). PHASE I complete.
PHASE II July 2019-October 2019 - Six new container stacks placed in service (18 of 30 stacks complete)
PHASE III May 2019 - Construction begins
PHASE III February 2020-June 2020 - 12 new container stacks placed in service (All 30 stacks online)

OTHER PROJECTS

The need for a 55-foot-deep channel that is wide enough to accommodate two-way ULCV traffic safely is here. The project includes increasing the channel depth at several key locations: 59 feet in the Atlantic Ocean Channel; 56 feet at Thimble Shoals; and 55 feet in the Norfolk Harbor and Newport News channels. It also includes widening the channel in select areas to include Thimble Shoals over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, ultimately allowing two-way ULCV traffic into the Norfolk Harbor.

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