Continuing its recovery to 2019 volume levels, the Port of New York and New Jersey surpassed its all-time September record as factories and manufacturers around the world ramped up activity in preparation for the holiday season and growing concerns of future supply chain disruptions. The Port reported total volume of 720,969 TEUs (399,803 containers) for September 2020, which was a 15.4 percent increase from the September 2019 totals of 624,961 TEUs (352,098 containers) i. This new record brings the Port’s volume through September to 5,382,422 TEUs (3,032,386 containers). 

The seaport’s recovery was the lone bright spot in the overall financial performance of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which reported last month continuing declines in revenue primarily due to low passenger volumes at the agency’s major airports, low ridership on its PATH rail service, and a 10 percent decrease in vehicular traffic at its crossings.  

The seaport’s robust performance is a direct result of its competitiveness among U.S. East Coast ports thanks to significant upgrades in infrastructure that can seamlessly handle ultra-large container ships such as the 15,072-TEU vessel CMA CGM Brazil, which arrived in September as the largest container ship to call at the port. 

Imports for the month of September totaled 376,756 TEUs (209,139 containers) compared to 317,587 TEUs (178,993 containers) in September 2019, an 18.6 percent increase. From January through September 2020, imports at the Port of New York and New Jersey reached 2,793,446 TEUs (1,564,951 containers) versus 2,854,559 TEUs (1,613,525 containers) in the same period of 2019, a 2.1 percent decrease. 

Exports for September totaled 344,213 TEUs (190,617 containers) compared to 307,374 TEUs (172,736 containers) in September 2019, a 12 percent increase in TEU volume. From January through September 2020, exports at the Port of New York and New Jersey reached 2,588,976 TEUs (1,457,113 containers) versus 2,765,822 TEUs (1,570,864 containers) in the same period of 2019, a 6.4 percent decrease. 

Autos moved through the Port totaled 39,041 in September, an increase of 20.9 percent compared to September 2019.