Volume 88 No. 3
March 2024
“The Voice of Port Industries” @VAmaritime
RETURN OF 24/7 TWO-WAY SHIP TRAFFIC NORFOLK, VA | On Friday, March 1, the U.S. Coast Guard “The importance of the return of 24/7 two-way navigation Captain of the Port released Business Rules for Ultra Large Container Vessels - Change 2, which removed one-way channel restrictions for Ultra Large Container Vessel (ULCV) transits in and out of Hampton Roads. The significance of this action is the effective addition of capacity and improvements in efficiency of commercial and naval operations throughout Virginia’s ports.
cannot be overstated,” says David White, Executive Director of Virginia Maritime Association. “Ships need to be on the move and terminals need efficiency from their facilities and operations. Time is money, and this improves the competitive position of our port and commonwealth. Projects like this are many years in the making, and it began as a priority of the Hampton Roads Navigational Summit. Along the way, many have supported the efforts and worked to reach this milestone in the journey to Wider, Deeper, Safer©. We are grateful to them all.” The dimensions of the ULCVs which began calling our port in 2017 introduced new navigational risks and made it necessary to establish the first-in-the-nation ULCV Business Rules, a document developed through the collaborative efforts of multiple port partners that set the practices to be followed to coordinate ship movements. A central component of the Business Rules prohibited ships from sailing past a ULCV transiting Thimble Shoal Channel due to the limits of the channel’s widths. Ships were allowed to sail only in the same direction of the ULCV, creating periods on average of 3 hours of one-way traffic when ships needing to sail in the opposite direction were required to wait. Continue Reading on Page 4
The sympathies of the Virginia Maritime Association are with those in the Port of Baltimore impacted by the tragedy at the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The VMA is standing by to help bring the capabilities of Virginia’s maritime community to bear. #BaltimoreStrong
INSIDE THIS EDITION
h FreezPak Expansion (4)
h Association in Action (6)
h Upcoming VMA Events (2)
h Port Statistics (5)
h VMA New Members (7)
h MLCP Class Graduates (3)
h VMA24 Registration Opens (5)
h VMA Anchor Members (8)
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