THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 19, 1995 TAG: 9501190345
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
The port of Hampton Roads rebounded along with the international economy in 1994. In fact, the port's terminals had their best year ever.
``We've had the best year in the history of the port,'' said Joseph A. Dorto, general manager and chief executive of Virginia International Terminals Inc., which operates Virginia Port Authority's three major terminals.
General cargo tonnage soared 15.9 percent in 1994 compared to 1993, the port's first down year in more than a decade. The only dark spot for the port was in coal exports, which were down slightly in 1994 from a poor 1993, but even that is starting to show improvement.
The port directly and indirectly provides more than 100,000 jobs in Virginia.
Dorto outlined the port's performance at a luncheon meeting Wednesday of the the Hampton Roads Foreign Commerce Club.
The port's terminals handled 7.96 million tons of general cargo last year, up from 6.87 million tons in 1993, Dorto said. General cargo includes goods shipped in containers and in break-bulk form, such as cocoa beans and steel.
The port handled 894,000 containers in 1994, up from 786,000 the year before.
``With any luck, this year will have the one-millionth (container) in a year pass through the port,'' Dorto said.
In 1994 the port attracted seven new services from shipping lines that will increase the port's container traffic significantly.
Even the port's break-bulk cargo tonnage, about which there is a lot of concern, increased in 1994. The increase is due to large shipments of steel through Newport News Marine Terminal, Dorto said.
Each of the port's core break-bulk cargos slipped in 1994, he said. Rubber shipments were down 38.9 percent, cocoa-bean imports fell 27.3 percent and plywood dropped off 42.5 percent.
The port's volume of break-bulk business, which is more labor-intensive, helps it keep costs down on the container side.
The port has been talking with the International Longshoreman's Association, which represents the port's dockworkers, to find a way to keep the port competitive for break-bulk business. The talks are being handled by the Hampton Roads Shipping Association, which is made up of the port's terminal owners, stevedoring companies and shipping lines.
The union rejected a package of break-bulk concessions in August. Recently the talks have turned to setting up an apprentice union in which newly hired workers would be paid less for a certain time, Dorto said.
On the coal side of the port, two of the region's three coal terminals have reported slight increases in shipments in 1994, but the third dragged down the total.
Coal shipments from Hampton Roads, the nation's largest coal port, slipped 2 percent in 1994 to 43.3 million tons from 44.2 million in 1993. The port exported 60 million tons of coal in 1992.
Weakness in the economies of Europe and Asia and stiff price competition from coal producers such as Australia and South Africa contributed to the weak coal exports.
Both Norfolk Southern Corp.'s Lamberts Point coal pier in Norfolk and Dominion Terminal Associates in Newport News had slight increases due to rebounds in coal exports in the latter half of 1994.
But Pier IX Terminal Co., also in Newport News, saw its shipments slip by 1.2 million tons to 3.2 million tons last year. by CNB