PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US — The DeLong Co., Inc., the largest US exporter of containerized agricultural products with 39 locations, has begun work on its new export facility in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The $26 million Portsmouth Agricultural Intermodal Export Facility is slated for completion in early 2026 and will be the first on the East Coast capable of receiving unit trains and transloading agricultural products directly into export containers, DeLong said.

DeLong, in partnership with the Port of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, the CSX Railyard, and the city of Portsmouth, celebrated the groundbreaking on May 29.

“This project represents a major step in strengthening the economic, agricultural and logistical landscape of Virginia and the greater East Coast to Midwest corridor,” said Brandon Bickham, vice president of exports for DeLong. “We’re proud to bring this facility to Portsmouth in collaboration with CSX and the Port of Virginia.”

The facility will offer 15,000 tonnes of storage and will handle 15,000 to 20,000 containers annually, significantly boosting the region’s export capabilities, DeLong said. Whole grains and feedstuffs sourced from local producers and the Midwest will be received by truck and rail, then shipped overseas via the Port of Virginia. The primary export markets include Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and China.

Phase 1 facility highlights:

• Storage capacity: 15,000 tonnes
• Inbound modes: 90-car unit trains via CSX, truck
• Outbound: export containers via the Port of Virginia
• Annual export capacity: 500,000 tonnes
• Key commodities: soybeans, corn, wheat, distiller’s dried grains and soybean meal
• Markets served: Asia

Phase 2 is currently in planning and will further expand storage and throughput capacity, DeLong said.

The project is supported in part by a $750,000 Rail Infrastructure Access (RIA) grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. The site is leased from CSX and operated solely by DeLong.