MSC Roma Makes Use of Virginia Port's Deep Channels

     Norfolk, Va. -- The Port of Virginia set a mark on Thursday, March 1, that no other port on the US East Coast can equal: it loaded a containership so heavy that it needed 48.5 feet of water to sail and then watched as it safely navigated its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

     “No other port on this coast can even consider handling a ship that needs 48.5 feet of water to operate,” said Jerry A. Bridges, executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “Virginia has the deepest water on the coast and today we proved it: The Port of Virginia can handle the biggest ships afloat.”

     For decades, Virginia’s 50-foot-deep shipping channels have accommodated heavily laden coal-colliers, but Thursday’s sailing of the MSC Roma marked the deepest draft ever needed for a containership.

     “This was a significant test and we passed nicely,” Bridges said.

     The MSC Roma called Virginia Thursday morning, worked through the day and sailed that same evening. The Roma is owned and operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) and deployed in the ocean carrier’s Golden Gate Service, which links the US East Coast to the Far East via the Suez Canal. Virginia is the last North American stop on the Golden Gate Service before it heads back to the Far East.

     “The last stop is significant because it allows export cargo to be collected in Virginia, loaded and immediately begin the export leg of the trip,” Bridges said. “Using this service, exports loaded in Virginia will reach their destination quicker because there are no other East Coast port calls. MSC benefits as well because it can take advantage of our 50-foot-deep channels, load heavy and begin to maximize the economics of operating its big ships.”