Virginia International Gateway launches new terminal operating system

The Virginia International Gateway (VIG) in Portsmouth last week completed the changeover of its terminal operating system to the Navis N4.

The switch began May 11 and was completed May 14, Virginia Port Authority officials said in a press release.

"Our barge, rail and truck volumes are growing, the vessels calling Virginia are getting bigger — and we are driving to dredge to 55 feet to attract even bigger vessels," said John Reinhart, the port authority's chief executive officer and executive director. "All of this dictates that we have the technology to manage this growth, more capacity and a team that is well-prepared.”

In 2014, following more than two years of preparation, the port switched on N4 at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) and set the stage for bringing the system to VIG. Portsmouth Marine Terminal and Richmond Marine Terminal also use N4. The N4 system also supports the Trucker Reservation System that the port implemented in March at NIT.

The port will be announcing a mandatory start date for the reservation system at VIG by June 30.

This week, the first of 13 new container stacks at VIG is being brought online, a move that will expand the terminal's capacity by 20 percent, port authority officials said.

It was critical to have N4 in place as the first stack was ready for service since the system needed to be in place to drive and support the expanded capacity, they added.

When the $320 million expansion of VIG is completed, it will have 26 new rail-mounted gantry cranes, four additional ship-to-shore cranes, 850 linear feet of new berth space, a rail operation that has doubled in size and four more lanes at the truck gate.