The Port of Virginia set a new record in October for the amount of cargo volume handled in a single month, according to a Friday announcement.

The port processed more than 270,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo in October, which beats the previous record set in 2017 by more than 5,000 units. This new record was driven by a 2-percent increase in loaded imports and a 14.5-percent increase in export empties, according to the press release.

John Reinhart, chief executive officer and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, stated in the press release that as the port’s capacity expansion projects at Virginia International Gateway and Norfolk International Terminals progress, the effort will be to draw down empty container inventory to build efficiency and focus on loaded units.

“Our emphasis is on loaded exports and imports, and reducing the number of empties on terminal is an approach that has been successful here,” Reinhart stated. “The record volume, especially during construction, put a significant amount of pressure on the gates and there were some trying moments last month for motor carriers.

“We are taking steps to create greater flexibility in our gate hours and add more chassis to the pool to build fluidity. The motor carriers are critical to our success and we are working to create consistency for them when they are on terminal.”