For the first time in more than 13 months, cargo volume at the Port of New York and New Jersey rose at a slower pace in September. Total volume for September accounted for 724,418 TEUs (400,179 lifts), a 0.5 percent increase from the previous September’s 720,969 TEUs (399,803 lifts), bringing the 2021 total through September to 6,659,082 TEUs (3,694,087 lifts). The port had been experiencing more than a year of unprecedented double-digit monthly growth in cargo activity. While the number of vessel calls in the month of September was consistent with previous months, there was a notable decrease in vessels with a capacity of 9,000 TEUs or more that called the port that month. 

Imports for September were 379,190 TEUs (210,262 lifts) versus 374,649 TEUs (207,778 lifts) in September 2020, a 1.2 percent increase. When comparing the numbers for January through September 2021 to the previous year’s figures, imports at the Port of New York and New Jersey rose by 23 percent, reaching 3,414,031 TEUs (1,897,520 lifts) versus the 2,776,346 TEUs (1,563,590 lifts) posted in 2020.  

Exports decreased by 12.9 percent in September 2021 compared to September 2020, totaling 99,893 TEUs (54,062 lifts) versus 114,690 TEUs (62,926 lifts) in September 2020. From January through September 2021, exports at the Port of New York and New Jersey reached 1,014,189 TEUs (552,000 lifts), a 3.5 percent increase over the 980,109 TEUs (540,561 lifts) recorded during the same period in 2020.  

Export empties increased 6 percent in September compared to the previous year, totaling 243,367 TEUs in September 2021 and 229,523 TEUs in September 2020. Export empties for January through September (2,211,604) rose by 37.5 percent when compared to the same period in 2020 (1,608,867). Import empties for January through September 2021 were 12.6 percent higher than the same period in 2020. 

Both rail and auto volume declined in September, though year-to-date numbers for both were greater than the same period posted in 2020. In September, 55,240 containers were moved by rail through the Port of New York and New Jersey. This number represents a 13.7 percent decrease from the previous year’s September figure. Rail volume was 4.3 percent greater from January through September compared with last year.  

Autos moved through the Port of New York and New Jersey totaled 26,783 in September, a decrease of 31.4 percent when compared to September 2020. Auto volume for January through September 2021 was 20.4 percent greater than in the same period in 2020.