Local ports focus on evacuating cargo

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - The Port of Virginia has stopped receiving diverted vessels and cargo in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and is now focused on dealing with the backlog the added cargo caused.

The Port of New York and New Jersey was closed for a week because of the storm. Virginia handled more than 6,000 containers from two diverted vessels, according to spokesman Joe Harris. He said another 3,500 automobiles bound for the Northeast hub also came off in Virginia.

“We are working to move the cargo to its destination by any means available: truck, rail and barge," said Rodney W. Oliver, interim executive direction of the Virginia Port Authority.

“We were tested last week and it was not a test of our ability to handle cargo, rather it was a show of what we are capable of and what we did during those few days on such short notice is a testament to planning, teamwork, communication and a willingness to get the job done,” said Joseph A. Dorto, the president of Virginia International Terminals Inc., the VPA’s private terminal operating company.

Before port officials received the call to help, they were actually in the process of clearing their own vessels in Hampton Roads backlogged because of Hurricane Sandy. They will have to process their own cargo, and the additional cargo from the Northeast.