The Port Authority announced today that cargo volumes in the Port of New York and New Jersey are on record pace for 2017, the company said in its press release. The first six months of this year were 4.4 percent higher than the same period in 2015, when the previous record of 3,093,789 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) was established.
Between January and June this year, the port handled 3,229,675 TEUs, compared to 3,041,287 TEUs handled in 2016. The record volumes have allowed the port to maintain its position as the busiest on the East Coast.
In June alone, the port handled 584,606 TEUs, the best June on record and the second highest monthly volume ever recorded in the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Cargo handled by ExpressRail, the Port Authority’s ship-to-rail system serving New York and New Jersey marine terminals, also continued to increase. During the first six months of 2017, ExpressRail handled 273,991 lifts, up 2.8 percent from the previous record in 2016, when 266,624 lifts were handled. In June alone, ExpressRail handled 50,693 lifts, the first time the rail system handled more than 50,000 lifts in a month.
The agency’s investment of more than $600 million in ExpressRail – including the completion of ExpressRail Port Jersey which is now under construction – was made possible by the Cargo Facility Charge and has been critical in addressing the need for on-dock rail to improve port efficiency, competitiveness and reduce emissions. Once ExpressRail Port Jersey opens early next year, 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 – far greater capacity than any other East Coast port.
“This summer’s completion of navigational clearance on the $1.6 billion Bayonne Bridge project was a major game changer for this port, and we believe will be a catalyst for continued port growth as the world’s biggest, modern, fuel efficient vessels can now call on our terminals,” said Port Department Director Molly Campbell. “Moving forward, we will continue to work with all our stakeholders to further enhance our ability to handle these record levels of cargo to maintain our designation as the East Coast’s premier port.”
In addition to cargo containers, the port also reported a 7.7 percent increase in vehicles handled by auto processors serving the port – from 245,765 units handled in 2016 to 264,766 units handled in 2017. The increase is due in part to the Auto Incentive Program launched in 2014 to provide financial incentives to auto manufacturers who bring new or increased vehicle business to the port.
The Port of New York and New Jersey currently supports 336,600 full-time jobs in the region; $21.2 billion in personal income; $53.5 billion in business income; and $7.1 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues.