Port of New York and New Jersey sets March, Q1 records

   The Port of New York and New Jersey announced Monday it had record-breaking cargo totals for both March and the first quarter.
   It moved 585,098 TEUs in March, which was a 2.2 percent increase over its previous March record set in 2018. The port handled about 1.8 million TEUs during the first quarter, which was a 6.7 year-over-year increase.
   First-quarter imported loads increased 3.9 percent to 905,849 TEUs despite a 1.9 percent year-over-year decline in March to 282,981 TEUs. The quarterly export loads fell 1.8 percent to 355,229 TEUs and dropped 1.6 percent in March to 130,038.
   Export empties increased by 13.5 percent in March to 170,777 TEUs, and export empties between February and March grew by 19.5 percent to 528,472 TEUs. First-quarter import empties decreased by 23.2 percent.
   The Port of New York and New Jersey also set a March record for cargo handled by rail by moving 58,877 containers, which was 11.1 percent growth. First-quarter rail volume increased 8.2 percent.
   March also saw a 13.5 percent increase in auto volume to 55,860, and the quarterly auto volume increased by 4.7 percent.