Change of focus for VPA terminals

For nine years Turkon vessels had called upriver at Newport News Marine Terminal (NNMT), but the VPA’s private terminal operating company, Virginia International Terminals Inc. (VIT), had long planned for NNMT to become a dedicated breakbulk and project cargo facility.

The arrival of Cafer Dede at PMT combined, with the completion and opening of a 200,000 sq ft warehouse at NNMT in late July, brought VIT’s plans to fruition. The majority of space in the new warehouse, said Joe Dorto, VIT’s general manager and chief executive officer, has been committed to Turkon, which signed a 10-year contract with VPA in 2005.

“Our plan was to consolidate container operations at Portsmouth and Norfolk, and it took some time because things had to happen elsewhere first,” said Dorto. “Finishing the warehouse in Newport News was the most important part of this equation because it gives the project cargo coming in on Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s vessels safe, dry storage, which is what they had been looking for.”