Page 18: of Marine News Magazine (June 2013)

The idea that cargo, moved from deep draft ports to smaller, niche destinations, can be accomplished without trucks is something that has taken a backseat over the past Þ ve years. ThatÕs because, absent the leadership necessary in Washington to move the viable concept forward, it has fallen off the intermodal Radar, replaced with ß ashy ideas for high speed commuter trains and further obscured by the pouring of billions of dollars of asphalt onto the na-tionÕs highways. Shortsea shipping, however, is alive and well. In the Commonwealth of Virginia Ð and elsewhere Ð it is getting a jumpstart that is already yielding dividends. Sean T. Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the former U.S. Mari- time Administrator, not only believes in shortsea shipping, he envisions a system that utilizes the entire intermodal chain. Overseeing seven state agencies with more than 9,700 employees and combined annual budgets of $5 bil- lion, it would probably be easy for Connaughton to shelve a nascent shortsea program between the ports of Norfolk and Richmond, VA. After all, the trouble of setting it up and keeping it in motion probably outweighs the initial hassle of doing so, especially amidst so many other tasks on his plate. Nevertheless, he insists, ÒWe see the immediate beneÞ t to the economy and the creation of jobs in inter- modal development.Ó THE I-64 EXPRESSThe 64 Express, in service since 2008, is a barge service linking the Hampton Roads Harbor and the Port of Rich- mond. Running from one to three sailings per week, the Virginia Port Authority hopes to ramp that up even fur- ther in the near term, when a new major customer could join the action. That could lead to as many as six sail- ings daily, something Connaughton describes as Òa game changer.Ó Although this yearÕs results have been disap- pointing because one user closed a plant elsewhere, about 7,000 containers nevertheless moved across the docks at Richmond last year. By Joseph Keefe Shortsea Shipping: Shortsea Shipping: Poised for a Comeback Poised for a Comeback 18 MNJune 2013MN June2013 Layout 18-31.indd 18MN June2013 Layout 18-31.indd 185/30/2013 11:06:59 AM5/30/2013 11:06:59 AM