Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) has affirmed its long-standing relationship with The Port of Virginia and said last week's published reports of the company leaving Virginia were altogether incorrect.

'VIT (Virginia International Terminals) has confirmed with officials from MSC in Geneva that the company has no intention to pull out of Virginia,' said Joe Dorto, VIT's general manager. 'In fact, VIT and MSC have been negotiating a long-term contract that would keep its ships calling here for many years to come.'

A Jan. 5 news release from the Maryland Port Authority said MSC was dropping The Port of Virginia from its North Atlantic rotation. Subsequently, many Maryland-area newspapers and shipping industry trade journals published the story.

No one from The Port of Virginia was called to confirm the report, however. Moreover, an MSC director in Geneva said Tuesday the story was printed 'without our specific confirmation' and the issue was 'not what we have been discussing with you.'

The rotation for MSC's North Atlantic service includes Norfolk, Baltimore, New York and Boston.