Q) What were the TEU (container) throughput figures for 2005 & 2004?
A) In 2005 The Port of Virginia's through put was 1.98 million TEUs. In 2004, that number was 1.8 million TEUs.

Q) What is the expected container throughput for 2006?
A) We're forecasting 8 percent growth, or 2.14 million TEUs.

Q) What are the scheduled port/terminal investments including construction/improvements projects for the smooth running of the Port?
A) The renovation of the south berth at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) is ongoing and will be complete in 2012. The $280 million project includes a new wharf, eight new post Panamax or Suez class cranes, the switch to straddle carriers, the implementation of a second live gate, a complete reconfiguration of the container yard, which includes the demolition of old warehouses. To this point, the wharf is complete, the cranes are in place and operating, the first 25 straddle carriers are working, the live gate is in operating and about 1/3 of the container yard has been reconfigured.

In 2008, work will begin on expanding the wharf at NIT's north berth. The $67 million project will add 900 feet to the existing wharf and 19 acres of land will be reclaimed for a container yard served by a straddle carrier operation.

At Portsmouth Marine Terminal an "e-gate" for truckers entering that terminal is being tested. The unmanned gate will allow drivers to use a special card with identification information to enter PMT. The card's information will be sent via radio transmitter to a control booth staffed by port police officers. The driver's information will be instantaneously checked against the port's database of 14,000 ID cardholders.

Q) What is the status of our dredging projects?
A) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in April completed its dredging project to make the inbound channel 50 feet deep. Now both the inbound and outbound channels leading to the port of Hampton Roads are 50 feet deep. Moreover, the channel serving NIT south is now 50 feet deep and at NIT north, dredging is underway to deepen that channel to 50 feet. Dredging to deepen the ocean channel entering the port of Hampton Roads to 56 feet was completed in April.

Q) What are some of the details of other VPA projects?
A) The development of Craney Island into the VPA's fourth deep water marine terminal took another step forward in April as the project's Environmental Impact Study passed another round of federal reviews. The VPA hopes to develop Craney Island into a 600-acre container terminal that would be built in phases starting in 2013; completion is expected in 2032. At completion, Craney Island would have an annual throughput capacity of 2.5 million TEUs.

Additionally, APM Terminals is within 18 months of opening the first phase of its U.S. East Coast Hub in Portsmouth. When complete in 2009, the 560-acre terminal will have a throughput capacity of more than 2 million TEUs.

Finally, the Virginia Port Authority is working to assist the Norfolk Southern Corp. in development of the Heartland Corridor. The Heartland Corridor is a NS Corp. project that will clear a direct route for double-tack trains to Columbus, Ohio, a large transit point for cargo going into the nation's heartland. When complete, the Heartland Corridor will save rail users one-and-a half days of travel time between Columbus and The Port of Virginia. All VPA-owned terminals and the APM facility will be users of the Heartland Corridor, which is scheduled for completion in 2010.

The Port of Virginia is home to the deepest, ice-free harbor on the U.S East Coast. There are no overhead obstructions and no plans to build any. The port is linked to the Midwest by the Norfolk Southern railroad and those rail connections will become even more efficient when the Heartland Corridor comes on line.