For the first time in nearly two years Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) is operating as the facility has been temporarily reactivated to handle an overflow of automobiles that normally would be handled at a separate Virginia Port Authority (VPA)-owned terminal.

Car carrier vessels called PMT Sunday (Nov. 18) and Monday (Nov. 19) and discharged more than 1,000 Nissan and Infiniti automobiles at the marine terminal. Port officials said a third vessel call at PMT by a car carrier is possible this week. The port is expected to take delivery of an additional 1,700 cars by the end of the month.


Car carrier vessels

Normally, all automobiles coming to The Port of Virginia are handled at Newport News Marine Terminal, but that facility is at capacity with more than 5,500 cars on site. Newport News is at capacity because vehicles bound for the Port of New York/New Jersey were diverted to Virginia as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Shortly following the passage of that storm, more than 3,500 vehicles were diverted to Virginia.

“We are scheduled to get an additional 1,700 cars by the end of November, so we are going to need PMT for a month or so until the cars are cleared,” said Rodney W. Oliver, the VPA interim executive director. “These cars are for dealers in the Mid-Atlantic and we expect delivery of these vehicles to

begin during the first two weeks of December. They will move out by truck, so it is going to take some time. Having PMT at our disposal makes this situation much easier to handle.”

As the port handles this temporary influx of import cars, it is nearly finished clearing all of the New York/New Jersey-bound containers that were diverted to Virginia as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Following passage of that storm, the port handled more than 6,000 containers of diverted cargo. Almost all of that cargo was moved into the Northeast market via rail and barge.

“All of that cargo will be out of Virginia by the end of the work week, and much of it in place for Black Friday and the start of the holiday retail season,” Oliver said.

The VPA vacated PMT in early 2011 and moved all cargo and ocean carriers to APM Terminals in Portsmouth. Since then, the agency has developed a marketing plan that focuses on bringing multiple users to the terminal by leasing individual parcels. To date there are two committed tenants, though neither has begun operations.