The Port of Virginia continued its positive trend with a history-making July.

The Port moved 234,220 20-foot equivalent units in July, according to a press release this week. That’s 7.5 percent more than the TEUs moved in July 2016 and is officially the best July cargo performance on record.

Since January, the Port has moved 1,619,012 total TEUs this year, which is 122,022 more when compared to the same span of time in 2016. This growth was reflected across all modes of cargo transportation.

“The peak season is under way,” John F. Reinhart, chief executive officer and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, stated in the press release. “We are seeing the large vessels with regularity and handling their corresponding cargo volumes safely and efficiently,”

While the port moved 44,598 cargo containers by rail and 4,064 by barge in July, trucks accounted for 85,442 containers, which is a 13 percent increase compared to July 2016. The Port spent $42 million to open its 26-lane North Gate Complex at Norfolk International Terminals. It reopened in June.

“The North Gate at NIT (Norfolk International Terminals) is fully functional, and motor carriers are utilizing that asset more and more, which will be important as we near the start of work this fall on renovating the south-side stack yard at NIT,” Reinhart stated.

The Port received approval from the VPA Board of Commissioners for four new-ship-to-shore cranes for Virginia International Gateway, the largest on the East Coast, according to the press release.

“While our volumes are growing, there is sustained momentum at The Port of Virginia that is driving us forward,” Reinhart stated.