Norfolk, VA

Norfolk anchors the Port of Virginia, one of the largest container gateways in the United States. Using Los Angeles and Long Beach as one combined port complex, the Port of Virginia ranked fifth nationally and third on the East Coast in 2025, handling about 3.24 million TEUs. Norfolk International Terminals is the port’s largest container terminal, and the harbor’s 55-foot channel, lack of overhead bridge restrictions, and ability to accommodate the largest container ships give the region a steady flow of international 20ft, 40ft, and 40ft high cube containers.

Norfolk is also unusually rail-oriented for a coastal container market. Norfolk International Terminals and Virginia International Gateway provide on-dock double-stack service through both Norfolk Southern and CSX, and recent rail-yard expansions have increased the Port of Virginia’s overall rail-processing capacity to about 2 million TEUs annually. This allows large volumes of marine containers to move directly between ships and inland rail networks without relying entirely on trucks, creating a substantial concentration of container equipment, depots, and supporting logistics operations throughout the Norfolk and Hampton Roads market. Norfolk has some of the cheapest container prices on the East Coast, and Western Container Sales always has the best price on used shipping containers in Virginia.