Port of Norfolk, Virginia Maritime Traffic
A series of major international terminals located along the shoreline of Hampton Roads, Virginia, the Port of Norfolk is the largest seaport in Virginia and one of the largest overall in the American Southeast. Its prime location, sitting at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay about 150 nautical miles south of the Port of Baltimore, makes it a vital trade center for any ship heading into the American Midwest from the Atlantic with over two million TEUs worth of containerized cargo passing through from both international and domestic shippers every year. Several major shipping companies pass through the Port every day, such as Norfolk Tug Co., Moran Towing Corp., C & P Tug & Barge Co., Kirby Offshore Marine, McAllister Towing, Weeks Marine, and many others.
Starting life as a surplus Army base purchased by the City of Norfolk, the Port of Norfolk has quickly grown to become the massive maritime center it is today. Over the past decade, a number of large renovations have been performed on the port to handle the constant traffic into and out of the Port, such as deeper channels, additional cargo cranes to assist with the loading and unloading of cargo containers, and improved support structures.
Befitting its origins as a military facility, the Port of Norfolk also serves as a massive center of operations for the United States Navy, with the US Fleet Forces Command headquarters located in the city. NATO’s Allied Command Transformation, the US Joint Forces Command, and the Second Fleet are all located in Norfolk as well, adding to the location’s importance to the US military and contributing to the local economy.
Norfolk, VA Maritime Accidents
With all this traffic vying for space in the Port of Norfolk, boating accidents are an unfortunate fact of life on the water in Virginia. In any area where fishing boats, dredges, shipping vessels, and police/military boats interact with each other so frequently, as well as the civilian boats that call Norfolk home, injuries, collisions, and accidents are sadly common.
Recent accidents range from collisions between civilian boats in high-traffic areas, accidents involving tugboats (a common sight in Norfolk due to the type of traffic the area attracts), and even an accident involving military personnel boarding a submarine for training activities. Whether military, commercial, or civilian, the number of vehicles present in the Port of Norfolk can make maritime accidents a tragically common occurrence.
Norfolk Maritime Injury & Accident Attorneys
If you have been the victim of a boat accident or illness while working, living, or relaxing on the water in Norfolk, you need the maritime injury attorneys of O’Bryan Law.
O’Bryan Law has more than 40 years of maritime injury law experience, and our Jones Act attorneys have the experience and skill you need to fight for your rights as an injured crew member, dockworker, or longshoreman in Norfolk. Our attorneys and investigators will travel to get information about your case in person and we represent all of our cases in federal court to make sure your Jones Act rights are properly upheld.
If you need a maritime lawyer, O’Bryan is the name you need to know. Contact us today and let us help you with your maritime law case.
*Dennis M. O’Bryan is enrolled to practice before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from the federal district courts in Virginia. In those federal district courts in which he is not generally admitted to practice, such as Norfolk, he gains admission pro hac vice, on a case by case basis, by securing the sponsorship of a reputable local attorney. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, where his office is located.
