annual capacity of 2 million TEUs. The docks will be served by eight new ship-to-shore cranes. Wharf renovations are underway with completion of the entire terminal redevelopment expected in 2026. In addition, the planned Savannah Container Terminal on Hutchison Island is now in the permitting phase and will create three new big ship berths when completed. These ship berth improvements combined with the recent Garden City Terminal berth project (which opened in 2023) will deliver a total of 12 big ship berths, representing a 100% increase in big ship berth capacity over the next six years, according to the GPA. As part of the Ocean Terminal project, the GPA is building a new $29-million exit ramp for truckers to provide them with direct access to the highway—no
traffic lights from the terminal in Savannah until they reach Atlanta. The new ramp will also help keep the trucks off local roads. PORT OF VIRGINIA: KEEPING CARGO FLOWING Work is nearly complete on a project that will give the Port of Virginia’s harbor the deepest, widest channel on the U.S. East Coast, allowing safe, two-way traffic for fully laden, ultra-large container ships. The port completed the widening portion of the project in February 2024, and it is expected to finish the deepening portion this fall. The port’s harbor will reach 55 feet depth. “It’s a big step forward in efficiency,” port spokesperson Joe Harris told Virginia Business this summer. “A deeper and wider channel keeps the flow of cargo coming into and out of the port
and reduces downtime.” In August 2024, the port also
completed an $83-million expansion of Norfolk International Terminals’ central railyard to accommodate 1.1 million rail TEUs annually. “It doubled the rail footprint at NIT,” Harris noted. “We can now handle, portwide, 2 million rail lifts per year.” In addition, the port is nearing the finish of the first phase of a $650-million expansion of Norfolk International Terminals’ north terminal, creating an additional 1.4 million TEUs of capacity with the installation of four new electric ship-to-shore cranes. The terminals’ container stack yard will be reconfigured, too. Upon completion in summer 2027, the terminals will have a capacity of 3.6 million TEUs, bringing the port’s overall capacity to 5.8 million TEUs. n
At the Port of Virginia, work is nearly complete on a project that will give the port’s harbor the deepest, widest channel on the U.S. East Coast. The Port also recently completed an $83-million expansion of Norfolk International Terminals’ central railyard to increase capacity.
October 2025 • Inbound Logistics 37
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