New barge line to Richmond grows rapidly

When the 64 Express barge line made its inaugural trip Dec. 1 from the port of Hampton Roads to Richmond, it carried two dozen cargo containers on its deck.

But when it left Sunday for the 100-mile journey up the James River, the deck was a little more crowded, with 8 6 containers on board.

The growth is from new business from international packaging company MeadWestvaco Corp., crushed-stone producer Luck Stone Corp., tobacco company Philip Morris USA Inc., cargo shipper K Line America Inc. and others, said Ed Whitmore, president of Norfolk Tug Co. and the James River Barge Line, which operate the 64 Express.

"We've had a couple of very, very good weeks," he said. "We're making rapid progress as we try to drag the port of Hampton Roads 100 miles west."

The 64 Express makes weekly trips carrying cargo containers between Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Norfolk International Terminals and the Port of Richmond.

Business is growing faster than expected and should break even within the first year, Whitmore said. The barge line hopes to add a stop soon at APM Terminals in Portsmouth and probably will add a second weekly trip by midyear, he said.

The barge's services might become more appealing to shippers when Independent Container Line Ltd. stops calling on Richmond next month, Whitmore said. Importers and exporters that move cargo on ICL's vessels can instead use the 64 Express to move goods between the port of Hampton Roads and Richmond, he said.

The barge line is part of a national marine highway initiative that aims to move cargo by inland and coastal waterways, removing trucks from the highway and reducing traffic and air pollution.

Every container carried by the 64 Express takes a truck off the road and saves 35 gallons of diesel fuel, Whitmore said.

"There is no economic advantage to using this service," he said. "The people that are supporting this are people that are sensitive to the environment and understand the importance of an initiative that helps reduce congestion."

The James River Barge Line got started with the help of state and federal money, including $2.3 million from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program.

At an Oct. 9 event at Nauticus in Norfolk, state and federal officials heralded the barge line as the start of the new America's Marine Highway Program. Through the program, groups could propose projects and get government help finding funding and making them a reality.

But a month later, the U.S. Maritime Administration withdrew the offer for companies to propose projects, citing "the current financial environment" and "insufficient time to formulate an application" within the 120-day deadline.

Without government support, momentum for projects like the 64 Express could fizzle, said David Host, president and chief executive officer of Norfolk ship agency T. Parker Host Inc. Host worked to develop the business for more than three years before selling it to Norfolk Tug in November to save costs.

"It'd be a doggone shame " to lose progress because of the recession, Host said. "You've got to start sometime."

Kathy Adams, (757) 446-2583, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com