February numbers show record container volume continues to move through the Port of New York and New Jersey. Total volume rose to 585,216 TEUs (332,484 lifts) compared to 521,921 TEUs (298,199 lifts) in February 2018, a 12.1 percent increase that brought the year-to-February total to 1,207,747 TEUs.
Import loads (TEUs) increased in February by 7.6 percent compared to the previous year while export loads showed a slight decrease, dropping by 2.9 percent for February 2019 compared to February 2018. Import loads for the same period totaled 295,523 TEUs (167,492 lifts) versus 274,638 TEUs (156,413 lifts) in February 2018. Export loads (TEUs) for February included 113,358 TEUs (62,979 lifts) versus 116,702 TEUs (64,720 lifts) the previous year.
For the period of January through February 2019, the Port of New York and New Jersey imported loads reached 622,868 TEUs (354,082 lifts) versus 583,641 TEUs (333,573 lifts) in the same period of 2018, a 6.7 percent increase. Exported loads during January and February 2019 reached 225,191 TEUs (124,834 lifts) versus 229,595 TEUs (126,892 lifts) posted in 2018, a 1.9 percent decrease.
Export empties showed a dramatic increase, rising 35.1 percent, totaling 175,358 TEUs in February 2019 versus 129,760 TEUs in February 2018. Import empties also posted double-digit gains, rising by 19 percent in January through February 2019 versus the same period in 2018. Export empties totaled 357,695 TEUs for January through February 2019 compared to 291,830 TEUs in the same period of 2018, an increase of 22.6 percent.
Rail volume also remained strong in February, posting a 4.3 percent increase (a total of 49,551 containers) from the previous year’s February figure. Rail volume for January through February 2019 increased by 6.6 percent compared to the same period of 2018.
Autos also moved through the Port of New York and New Jersey, totaling 48,932 in February, an increase of 15.5 percent when compared to February 2018. Auto volume for January through February 2019 rose slightly, posting a .1 percent change compared to the same period of 2018.