Port of New York and New Jersey Continues Record-Breaking Streak of High Cargo Volume, Rail Activity

Port of New York and New Jersey Continues Record-Breaking Streak of High Cargo Volume, Rail Activity

May 2021 saw another double-digit, record-breaking month at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Total volume, imports, autos, and rail posted double-digit volume increases compared to the previous year, and rail broke its all-time monthly record for May.

Autos led the volume surge, with a total of 41,308 autos moving through the Port of New York and New Jersey in May. This number represents an 88.7 percent increase when compared to May 2020. Auto volume for January through May 2021 was 25 percent greater than in the same period of 2020.

Total volume for May 2021 was 796,693 TEUs (442,544 lifts) versus 537,412 TEUs (304,132 lifts) in May 2020, a 48.2 percent increase. This increase brings the total for the year through May to 3,645,672 TEUs (2,024,226 lifts).

Imports rose by 49 percent in May 2021 compared to the previous year, totaling 396,417 TEUs (220,620 lifts) versus 266,004 TEUs (151,019 lifts) in May 2020. From January through May 2021, imports at the Port of New York and New Jersey reached 1,854,409 TEUs (1,031,686 lifts), a 28.4 percent increase over the 1,444,677 TEUs (818,645 lifts) posted in the same period in 2020.

Exports at the Port of New York and New Jersey also showed strong TEU volume gains in May, increasing by 40.8 percent over the previous year. Exports totaled 134,458 TEUs (73,255 lifts) in May versus 95,462 TEUs (52,815 lifts) in May 2020. From January through May 2021, exports reached 586,264 TEUs (319,366 lifts), a 4.3 percent increase over the 561,843 TEUs (310,067 lifts) posted in the same period of 2020.

Export empties increased 50.6 percent, totaling 263,527 TEUs in May 2021 versus 174,942 TEUs in May 2020. Export empties totaled 1,193,829 TEUs for January through May 2021 versus 840,354 TEUs in the same period of 2020, an increase of 42.1 percent. Import empties were up 50 percent in January through May 2021 versus the same period in 2020.

Rail volume at the Port of New York and New Jersey set a monthly record in May with a total of 62,026 containers, an increase of 22.8 percent from the previous year’s May figure. From January through May 2021, rail volume was 8.8 percent greater than in the same period of 2020.