Elizabeth River Trust News

APM Terminals North America Inc. announced plans to build a container terminal located on the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth, Virginia. Dredging is expected to start later this year, and construction of the terminal is expected to be completed in 2007. The facility will feature 4000 ft. (1219 meters) of deepwater berth space (four times the current amount), and serve as a Mid-Atlantic platform for future growth. Many high profile international companies have significant operations in the region and others are actively eyeing major distribution centers for the future. The amount of cargo through Hampton Roads is expected to at least double by 2020, in part due to the area’s attraction as a major distribution center.

APM Terminals Virginia officially opened its new $450m, 291-acre container terminal (on 576 acres of land) to serve customers in the Hampton Roads region. This maritime center, the third-largest container terminal in the United States, is capable of handling 1 million twenty- foot-equivalent units (TEU) annually and has the potential to expand to handle a capacity of more than 2 million TEU. The terminal will serve as an economic engine for new business in the region. New technology at the terminal is designed to keep workers and drivers safe, while expediting cargo movement through use of the newest, most advanced handling equipment. The highly efficient, “green design” of the facility incorporates energy-saving and emissions-conscious technology into the equipment and the terminal.