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Four Asian shipping lines to offer transit service to port
2009/3/26
A consortium of four major Asian shipping lines is making Hampton Roads its first US stop in a new service that provides 22-day transit between China and Virginia, the Virginian-Pilot reported.
"This is the first, ''first-in'' service from Asia that we''ve had," said Gregory Edwards, director of external affairs for the Virginia Port Authority.
The new service will give the port a tremendous advantage in reaching markets east of Chicago, such as Columbus, Ohio, Edwards said.
Big retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot "will welcome it as a new option," he added.
In addition to the new "first-in" service from Asia, the Port Authority also announced the return of two additional Asian-based services, including one by a Chinese-government-owned shipping line. "Once the rotation is in full swing, we''ll see three new vessel calls a week, more than 150 combined a year," said Joe Harris, a port spokesman.
The good news came against the backdrop of a global economic downturn that has affected Hampton Roads along with ports around the world.
The number of cargo containers processed at the port dropped 9.2 percent in the eight months between July 1 and the end of February, compared with the same period a year earlier. The number of ship calls fell 14.5 percent for the same periods, from 1,453 to 1,242.
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2009/3/26