Port of Virginia has second best year for cargo

Published: 08:16:35 PM, Fri 11 January 2013 UTC

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Port of Virginia says 2012 was the second best year in its history in terms of cargo volume.

The port said Friday that it handled more than 2.1 million cargo units in 2012, an increase of nearly 10 percent from the previous year.

The port says only about 22,000 cargo units separated 2012 from the port's best year on record of 2007.

The news comes the same day a legislative audit said the Virginia Port Authority is positioned to generate a net profit during the next five years. The Port of Virginia is the third largest port on the East Coast in terms of container volume, but state officials are frustrated about its pace of growth.

The state is considering allowing a private company to manage port operations.

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