Container Volume Continues to Rise in March at the Port of New York and New Jersey

Container Volume Continues to Rise in March at the Port of New York and New Jersey

The Port of New York and New Jersey continued its streak of record-setting months through the first quarter of 2019. In March the Port moved 585,098 TEUs (333,688 lifts) compared to 572,576 TEUs (327,096 lifts) in March of 2018. This number represents a 2.2 percent increase over the record set the previous year, and the most ever recorded for the month of March. The increase brought the year’s cargo total to an all-time record of approximately 1,800,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) during the first quarter of 2019, which represents a 6.7 percent increase over the same period in 2018.

Import loads for the month of March totaled 282,981 TEUs (161,486 lifts), a slight 1.9 percent decrease compared to March of 2018. From January through March 2019, imported loads at the Port of New York and New Jersey reached 905,849 TEUs (515,568 lifts), a 3.9 percent increase over the same period in 2018.

Export loads (TEUs) showed a small decline, dropping 1.6 percent compared to the previous year. In March, export loads totaled 130,038 TEUs (72,002 lifts) compared to 132,105 TEUs (73,407 lifts) in March 2018. For the period of January through March 2019, exported loads at the Port of New York and New Jersey reached 355,229 TEUs (196,836 lifts) versus 361,700 TEUs (200,299 lifts) in the same period of 2018, a 1.8 percent decrease.

In March 2019, export empties increased by 13.5 percent, totaling 170,777 TEUs versus 150,438 TEUs in March 2018. During the period of February through March 2019, export empties rose by 19.5 percent totaling 528,472 TEUs versus 442,268 TEUs in the same period of 2018.

Import empties were down, dropping by 23.2 percent for the period of January through March 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.

In March the Port set a record for cargo handled by rail by moving 58,877 containers, up 11.1 percent over the previous record set in March 2018. Rail volume for the period of January through March 2019 rose by 8.2 percent compared to the same period the previous year. 

A total of 55,860 autos moved through the Port of New York and New Jersey in March, a 13.5 percent increase over the previous year. Auto volume for the period of January through March 2019 was 4.7 percent greater than in the same period of 2018.

Find the press release here.