Ports: Growth & Development

Virginia Business
September 2006

Norfolk cruise terminal to open next year
Construction of a new $37 million cruise terminal in downtown Norfolk, adjacent to the Nauticus National Maritime Center, is on schedule, with the terminal scheduled to open in March. The terminal will be called the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, named for a fort erected on the site in 1673. Built in the shape of a half moon, it protected the region’s emerging maritime industry. The 80,000-square-foot terminal will offer 33,000 square feet of space for events. At the entrance in its floor tile with be a 54-foot image of a mermaid — one of Norfolk’s most popular symbols. Departing cruise guests will be able to access destinations such as Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean from the new facility.

New system at port monitors containers
The Virginia Port Authority is the first port in the country to install a system that allows monitoring of in-bound cargo containers. It’s capable of detecting evidence of content tampering, such as container doors that may have been opened in transit or unexpected temperature changes. The systems involves radio frequency transmitters inside the cargo container, and corresponding receivers, which are installed at the gates of the Virginia Port Authority's three marine terminals in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News. The monitoring system is manufactured by CommerceGuard, a joint venture of General Electric, Mitsubishi and Siemens.

Senate authorizes money for Craney Island expansion
In July, the U.S. Senate appropriated $671.3 million for the 580-acre eastward expansion of the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area, laying the groundwork for the eventual construction of a fourth marine cargo terminal for the Virginia Port Authority. The allocation was part of the Water Resources Development Act. The House of Representatives, however, did not include the expansion money in its version of the water act. The House and Senate are expected to resolve their differences over the act by the end of September. The island, sitting just north of Portsmouth, is a repository for dredged material from the river bottom. Additional federal money — as much as $26.2 million — needs to be appropriated for the project and is expected to come in separate legislation. The rest of the cost will be covered by the port authority.