Construction of the 55-foot (17-metre) deep shipping channel and harbour, a project under a US$1.4 billion investment program of the Port of Virginia, was recently completed, thus making Virginia home to the deepest port on the US East Coast.
The channel dredging was completed on February 28, and the post-dredge survey to confirm the channel’s depth and width, along with additional maintenance work, is underway.
Once the expanded and deepened channel has been mapped and its depths verified, the maritime charts will be updated to reflect the increased capacity. All work is scheduled for completion in late spring.
The dredging project also included widening areas of the channel, which allows for two-way traffic of ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs). The widening project was completed in February 2024.
The US$1.4 billion investment program also entailed conversion of the Portsmouth Marine Terminal into a deep-water heavy-lift facility, which is now fully operational; and renovation and reconfiguration of the north berth at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT), which is scheduled to be completed by the middle of 2027.
In addition to completion of the dredge work, the port brought a fourth ULCV berth into operation in February. At the south berth of NIT, the port deepened the berths and in January put four new Suez-class cranes into service. The new cranes give the port two ULCV berths at both NIT South and Virginia International Gateway.