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Dover,
DE – Governor Ruth Ann
Minner and Greg Smith, Executive Director Distribution and Logistics for
Volkswagen of America (VwoA), signed a new five-year lease agreement
ensuring that new Volkswagens and Audis continue arriving at the Port of
Wilmington through December 2008.
The Port of Wilmington is the second largest U.S. seaport of entry for
new VW and Audi automobiles on the U.S. east coast and receives up to
100,000 new cars each year. Under the terms of the new agreement, VWoA
anticipates adding another 23 acres to its present facility. At 90 acres
of land under lease, VWoA will continue as the Port’s largest tenant.
“We are very pleased that Volkswagen has decided to continue with the
Port of Wilmington as its mid-Atlantic distribution hub for imported
Volkswagen and Audi automobiles,” said Gov. Minner.
“Together with our partners in the automobile trade, we were
able to develop a competitive package that fully meets VWoA’s growth
plans over the next five years.”
“We are very pleased that Volkswagen has
decided to renew its lease at the Port of Wilmington,” said Nathan
Hayward III, Chairman of the Board of the Diamond State Port Corporation
and Delaware’s Secretary of Transportation. “With members of state
government, port managers, executives at TransWorld Port and
Distribution Services, and Allied Systems, the leadership and members of
Teamsters Union Local 326, and other key service providers working
together, we were able to craft a competitive package and achieve
victory for the state, our port and our Delaware workforce.
”The signing of this extended lease with Diamond State Port
Corporation represents the longest contract that VW has committed to
Wilmington. “VW’s
previous two contracts were limited to three years each,” said Port of
Wilmington Executive Director Gene Bailey.
“Today
marks a successful outcome of nearly a year of intensive marketing in
very tough competition with other possible locations,” noted Gov.
Minner. “I've personally spoken with Volkswagen executives on numerous
occasions to persuade them of the advantages of staying in
Delaware. I'm delighted that this outcome means we've saved 300
good jobs in Wilmington’s automobile trade.”
“When we combined the highly skilled work force with the commitment
from Delaware’s state and federal government officials to continue to
support our growth needs at the Port of Wilmington, we believe we have
made an excellent decision to stay in Wilmington,” said Greg Smith,
Executive Director, Distribution and Logistics for VWoA.
“The Port of Wilmington has the infrastructure and ocean and trucking
access we need today, and its new auto berth was a factor because it
will enable our transportation team to achieve increased efficiencies
during unloading operations at the port,” Smith added.
Volkswagen of America began shipping vehicles through the Port of
Wilmington in 1974. In September 2002, Gov. Minner inaugurated the
Port’s newly constructed, state-of-the-art auto berth on the Delaware
River. This capital project was constructed to improve Wilmington’s
automobile handling capabilities, was instrumental in retaining VW
business at the port, and gives the port a key competitive advantage in
attracting additional automotive and RoRo business to the State of
Delaware.
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