Virginia is home to the sixth-largest container port in the U.S., part of a sprawling facility that also includes the world’s largest naval base, ship repair services and dry-bulk berths for coal exports. The port reported last week that cargo volumes in March were off 9% from a year ago, including a 9.2% drop in overall container traffic. There were also 16 fewer ship calls than in March 2019, a 12.5% decline from last year. Container vessel operators in recent weeks have canceled hundreds of sailings affecting schedules into the summer and have idled a record 13% of their capacity to conserve cash as demand has waned, according to maritime data provider Alphaliner. Trade data group Panjiva says overall U.S. seaborne container imports fell 10.1% in March from a year ago, including a 34% decline in shipments from China, where lockdowns on factories to contain the […]