The Port of Virginia officially introduced its new 55-foot-deep shipping channel, marking the completion of a $450 million project that gives the port the deepest commercial harbor and shipping channel on the U.S. East Coast.
State officials and other VIPs gathered at Norfolk International Terminals to celebrate the milestone, which allows the largest container ships operating in the Atlantic trade, along with future generations of vessels, to enter and leave the port fully loaded.
“Today, we are sending a clear message to the entire world: The Port of Virginia is wide open for business,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said during the event. “The port is now home to the deepest commercial shipping channel on the entire East Coast of the United States. Because of this investment, the largest cargo ships in the Atlantic trade, and the next generation coming behind them, can now safely transit Norfolk Harbor with a full load.”…