THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605090523
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
The port boom that began in Hampton Roads two years ago has continued through the first quarter of 1996.
Port statistics are up across the board.
More general cargo is being loaded and unloaded. More ships are calling. And more coal is being dumped at the region's terminals.
``We had a rip-snorter in the first quarter,'' said Mark Bower, the Norfolk Southern Corp. executive who oversees the railroad's coal exports.
The railroad's terminal in Norfolk dumped 1 million more tons of coal into the holds of colliers during the first three months of the year than it did in the same period last year.
Norfolk Southern's Pier 6, the region's largest terminal, loaded 7.9 million tons of coal in the quarter.
Combined with the two terminals in Newport News, the region shipped 13.8 million tons of coal in the first quarter, up from 12 million in 1995's first quarter, according to the Hampton Roads Maritime Association.
The growth in coal shipments has been driven by European utilities that are burning more coal to generate power, said Bower, assistant vice president for export and metallurgical coal marketing.
Coal colliers accounted for about a third of the increase in ship calls in Hampton Roads. The local maritime association reported that 751 ships had arrived in the port through March 30 this year, up from 661 in the same period last year.
More ships mean more work for area tug companies, pilots, agents, customs brokers, fuel companies, ships' stores firms and the men and women who unload and load the vessels.
``The more ships you get, the more man-hours you expect to get,'' said Ed Brown, international vice president of the International Longshoremen's Association in Hampton Roads. The ILA represents about 2,000 dockworkers in the region.
``That's not always true with automated, container-style ships, but it is with the break-bulk ships,'' Brown said. ``We're hoping to get more with the agreement we recently reached with Lambert's Point Docks.''
Man-hours are up because about 50 more container ships called this year.
Container tonnage is also up about 7.1 percent through March compared to last year, but break-bulk cargo is down 16 percent due to the loss of a rubber-carrying shipping line at Lambert's Point Docks, said Joseph A. Dorto, chief executive and general manager of Virginia International Terminals Inc.
Virginia International Terminals operates the state-owned terminals in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News. There's also a private container terminal in Portsmouth and Norfolk Southern's break-bulk terminal at Lambert's Point.
``March was our best month in history,'' Dorto said.
The strong March may have been caused by all the cargo delayed by the poor weather in January and February, he said. The winter weather also meant some ships destined for Baltimore and New York were diverted to Hampton Roads to unload cargo.
Dorto believes the port will continue to grow solidly through the year. He estimates tonnage will be up about 7 percent, more than the 4 percent to 6 percent growth the Virginia Port Authority is projecting.
One new steamship line has signed to call on with the port since the year began. Zim Line, an Israeli shipping company, has partnered with Pan-American Line to serve South America, Dorto said. The service will call at Newport News Marine Terminal once a week and could bring an added 4,000 to 5,000 new containers a year through the port. The first Zim ship in the service called in April.
Dorto also expects that a new joint service to Asia through the Suez Canal by Maersk Line and Sea-Land Services Inc. will come to Hampton Roads. A decision on the service should be announced soon, he said. ILLUSTRATION: VP Graphic
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
PORT TONNAGE
COAL DUMPING
SHIP CALLS
SOURCE: Virginia Port Authority and Hampton Roads Maritime
Association
by CNB