Port of NY/NJ container volumes on pace to surpass record 2017

The largest port on the U.S. East Coast set yet another monthly record in February, handling 521,921 TEUs after hitting a new January high a month ago, according to the most recent data from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).    The Port of New York and New Jersey, the busiest cargo gateway on the U.S. East Coast and third largest in the country, handled 521,921 TEUs in February 2018, surpassing the previous monthly record set in February 2017 by 2.9 percent, according to the most recent data from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
   PANYNJ attributed the record setting cargo volumes in the latter part of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 primarily to the larger containerships calling at New York/New Jersey following the June 2017 completion of the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project, which allowed ships with up to 18,000 TEUs in capacity to reach terminals west of the bridge in New Jersey and New York.
   The February growth was driven by loaded export volumes, which surged 10.5 percent to 247,283 TEUs for the month, while loaded imports climbed 4.5 percent to 274,638 TEUs compared with February 2017.
   ExpressRail, the port authority’s ship-to-rail system serving New York and New Jersey marine terminals, also saw significant growth in volumes, moving 47,500 containers, 15.2 percent more than in the same month a year ago.
   In addition to containerized cargo, the port posted a 3.2 percent increase in vehicle volumes to 42,365 units.
   The Port of New York and New Jersey handled a record 6.71 million TEUs in 2017, surpassing the previous high-water mark of 6.37 million TEUs set in 2015 by 5.3 percent.