Port of NY and NJ was the Busiest U.S. Port for Loaded Cargo in March

Port of NY and NJ was the Busiest U.S. Port for Loaded Cargo in March

March was a strong month at the Port of New York and New Jersey, as it surpassed all other U.S. ports to lead the nation in loaded TEUs handled. Additionally, autos, rail, and total volume all posted double-digit gains year over year.

The port handled 516,757 loaded TEUs in March, a 9.7 percent increase from March 2024’s 471,154 loaded TEUs. March’s total volume of 783,732 TEUs (430,141 containers) rose by 11.7 percent compared to the 701,648 TEUs (386,868 containers) recorded in March 2024. This brings the first quarter total to 2,203,719 TEUs (1,214,075 containers), a 10 percent increase from the same period of 2024. 

March imports rose 8.1 percent compared to the previous year, totaling 381,791 TEUs (210,716 containers) compared to 353,300 TEUs (195,796 containers) in March 2024. From January through March, the Port of New York and New Jersey imported 1,117,341 TEUs (617,313 containers), an 8.7 percent increase from the 1,028,331 TEUs (569,160 containers) recorded over the same period of the previous year. Import empties fell by 33.6 percent in the first quarter of 2025 versus 2024.

Exports totaled 134,966 TEUs (72,197 containers) in March, a 14.5 percent jump from March 2024’s total of 117,893 (63,166 containers). From January through March, exports at the Port of New York and New Jersey reached 341,007 TEUs (182,375 containers) versus 324,253 TEUs (173,561 containers) in the same period of 2024, a 5.2 percent increase. 

Export empties increased 16.3 percent, totaling 265,493 TEUs in March versus 228,312 TEUs in March 2024. A total of 741,083 export empties were recorded from January through March, a 15.4 percent increase from the previous year’s 642,403 TEUs over the same period.

March rail volume rose 11.9 percent from the previous year’s March figure, totaling 61,411 containers. Rail volume from January through March was 4.2 percent greater than the same period of 2024.

A total of 37,198 autos moved through the Port of New York and New Jersey in March, representing a 17 percent increase from March 2024. However, auto volume for the first three months of 2025 declined 10 percent from the first quarter of 2024.

View monthly cargo volume here.