The Port of Virginia has been the center and generator of trade and commerce in Virginia for more than 400 years. Today, more than 70 maritime-related companies are located in the Norfolk Harbor. Private industry sectors include ship repair facilities, ship line offices and headquarters, and terminal operators for coal, grain, fertilizer and other bulk products. Support industries range from logistics, vessel pilotage and cargo examination to container fumigation and customs brokerage. Additional indirect industries include banking, engineering, industrial real estate, consulting, marine surveying and cargo insurance.

Virginia’s deep harbor and channels can accommodate the largest container ships and bulk vessels in the Atlantic and Pacific trade. The Norfolk Harbor is strategically important from military and economic standpoints; it is home to Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest navy base, North America’s busiest coal terminals and the nation’s heaviest concentration of shipbuilding and repair services.