Port Cargo This Year Sets New Record
The cargo volume increase was fueled by a 7.8% rise in loaded import containers, primarily carrying commodities such as furniture, appliances and beverages.
NEW YORK CITY—The raising of the Bayonne Bridge and other investments by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were critical in establishing a new cargo record for PA ports.
The Port Authority reports that cargo volumes were up 6.8% in the first half of 2018, as compared to the same period in 2017—3,450,469 TEUs (20-foot equivalent length cargo containers), compared to 3,229,675 TEUs handled during the same period in 2017.
The cargo volume increase was fueled by a 7.8% rise in loaded import containers, primarily carrying commodities such as furniture, appliances and beverages. Export-loaded containers increased by 9.2%. The record volume maintains the NY-NJ port’s position as the busiest on the East Coast, Port Authority officials say. They also cited a strong and growing regional economy and growth in intermodal cargo as other factors driving cargo growth in the region.
A primary factor driving the cargo increase is the June 2017 completion of the $1.6-billion Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project, which raised the clearance capacity under the bridge from 151 feet to 215 feet and now allows ships as large as 18,000 TEUs to pass underneath it. Prior to the bridge project, the maximum vessel size was 9,800 TEUs. Currently, 9.1% of the port’s cargo is carried on vessels that are 13,000 TEUs or larger. Prior to the bridge raising, ships of that size were limited to terminals located outside the Newark and Elizabeth, NJ channels.
“We are committed to continuing the substantial investments we’ve made in the port to maintain its position as a strong generator of jobs and economic activity in New York and New Jersey,” says Port Authority chairman Kevin O’Toole. “This port already supports 400,000 full time jobs in the bi-state region that generate $25.7 billion in wages, and given the substantial rise in cargo volumes this year, those numbers will only increase over time.”
“The capabilities of the Port of New York and New Jersey have never been more vividly on display. These record-breaking numbers demonstrate the port’s strategic appeal to cargo shippers and distributors,” adds Port Authority executive director Rick Cotton.
During the first half of the year, the port’s ExpressRail—the Port Authority’s ship-to-rail system serving New York and New Jersey marine terminals—also was on record pace for the year. During the first six months of 2018, ExpressRail handled 315,011 lifts, up 15% from the previous record in 2017, when 273,991 lifts were handled.
The Port Authority anticipates that cargo transported by rail will continue to grow after its newest rail facility—ExpressRail Port Jersey—opens at the end of 2018. Once that facility opens, it will give the port the capacity to handle 1.5 million container lifts a year and eliminate 2,250,000 annual truck trips from local highways.
In addition to cargo containers, the port also reported a 6.2% hike in vehicles handled by auto processors serving the port—from 264,766 units handled in 2017 to 281,224 units handled in 2018. The Port Authority cited the increase at least in part due to the Auto Incentive Program launched in 2014 to provide financial incentives to auto manufacturers that bring new or increased business to the port.