The Port of Virginia set a new annual record for container cargo volume having handled more than 2.5 million TEUs in 2015, a 6.5 percent increase over last year’s total. In 2015, the port saw increases in TEUs, total truck and rail volume, total containers and general cargo tonnage. December is the half-way mark in fiscal 2016: in fiscal 2016 TEU volumes are 1,295,554 TEUs, growth of 3 percent when compared with the prior year. The port set record highs for total containers, total truck containers, total rail containers and container throughput at both Virginia Inland Port and Richmond Marine Terminal. “We handled significant volume and did so by focusing on efficiency, delivering a high-level of service to our port users, customers and stakeholders and being accountable,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “We will continue to examine our operational practices, reinvest in the facilities and equipment and overall, look for ways to continue to improve service and velocity. “In 2015, we moved 156,000 more TEUs than we did in 2014, which until now, was our most productive year on record. The growth is significant—13,000 TEUs a month, on average - and we have responded with improved throughput in all facets of the operation. We are now focused on the future: adding capacity and cargo conveyance equipment, making greater use of technology and strategic planning. “The work we did last year is a tribute to our team and our port partners,” Reinhart said. “We must be cognizant of the fact that we have more work to do on building infrastructure and developing processes to remain a sustainable business and grow The Port of Virginia.” The year was completed with December’s TEU volumes of 197,039 units, a drop of 3 percent when compared with the prior year. In December breakbulk tonnage was up 21 percent; rail volume up 5 percent; ship calls up 3 percent and vehicle units up 198 percent.