After a busy July that saw the Port of New York and New Jersey record its largest total cargo volume since October 2022, August brought a normalizing of activity to pre-pandemic levels at the port. The port moved 662,740 TEUs (366,339 containers) in August versus 843,191 TEUs (466,640 containers) in August 2022, a 21.4 percent decrease, which brings its total volumes handled through August to 5,128,563 TEUs (2,847,453 containers). These declines are largely due to U.S. retailers continuing to draw from their overstock of inventory that was delivered during the record cargo surge over the past two years.

Imports decreased by 18.6 percent in August compared to the previous year, totaling 348,921 TEUs (192,889 containers) and 428,721 TEUs (236,681 containers). From January through August 2023, imported loads at the Port of New York and New Jersey reached 2,618,556 TEUs (1,455,034 containers) versus 3,345,305 TEUs (1,851,998 containers) in the same period of 2022, a 21.7 percent decrease.

Exports for August totaled 106,025 TEUs (57,230 containers) compared to 109,058 TEUs (59,120 containers) in August 2022, a 2.8 percent decrease. From January through August, exported loads reached 857,552 TEUs (463,834 containers), a 1.5 percent decrease from the 870,505 TEUs (470,862 containers) recorded in 2022.

Export empties decreased 32.1 percent, totaling 206,064 TEUs in August and 303,662 TEUs in August 2022. Export empties totaled 1,638,833 TEUs from January through August, a decrease of 28.6 percent compared to the 2,294,395 TEUs recorded in the same period in 2022. Import empties rose 8 percent from January through August versus the same period in 2022.

Compared to last year’s August figure, rail volume decreased by 15.4 percent this August, totaling 56,469 containers. Rail volume from January through August 2023 was 13.2 percent less than in the same period in 2022.

A total of 28,443 autos moved through the Port of New York and New Jersey in August, a decrease of 12.3 percent when compared to the previous year. Auto volume from January through August is 13.1 percent less than during the same period in 2022.

View monthly cargo volume here.