Port Of Virginia: New Equipment To Advance Ulcv Capacity

April 15, 2025

The Port of Virginia is continuing to modernize and expand its operation and recently debuted additional capacity to safely handle simultaneous calls of ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs).

Earlier this month at Virginia International Gateway (VIG) the port put four new, all-electric, Suez class ship-to-shore container cranes into service. With the expanded crane fleet at VIG, the port now has the capacity to accommodate three ULCVs at once. Today, the port has 26 ship-to-shore cranes situated on deep water that are capable of handling the biggest container vessels currently serving the Atlantic Ocean trade

“We are continuing to invest in the kind infrastructure that allows ocean carriers and the cargo owners using The Port of Virginia to grow their volumes here,” said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “Today we offer three ULCV berths and we are quickly heading toward having the capacity to handle five ultra-large container vessels at once.”

Edwards said the increase in ULCV berth capacity coincides with the effort of dredging Virginia’s commercial shipping channels and Norfolk Harbor to 55 feet deep, which would make Virginia home to the deepest port on the US East Coast.

“We already have channels wide enough to handle two-way ULCV traffic and we are in the last phase of deepening,” Edwards added. “When the dredge work is complete, multiple ULCVs, loaded to their absolute limits, will be able to call The Port of Virginia without restrictions at the berth, on water depth or for vessel traffic.”