The Port of New York and New Jersey ended the first quarter of 2024 with a surge in volume, posting the most significant gains of the quarter and surpassing 700,000 TEUs for the first time in 2024. Total volume reached 701,648 TEUs (386,868 containers), a 22 percent increase from the 574,452 TEUs (321,103 containers) posted in March 2023. This increase in volume is due to manufacturing restarting overseas following the Lunar New Year holiday. This number brings the port’s first-quarter total to 2,001,449 TEUs (1,104,759 containers), a 12 percent increase from the same period in 2023. 

Imports (TEUs) rose by 23.5 percent in March totaling 353,300 TEUs (195,796 containers), from 286,142 TEUs (160,253 containers) in March 2023. From January through March, the Port of New York and New Jersey imported 1,028,331 TEUs (569,160 containers), a 14.5 percent increase from the 898,437 TEUs (500,198 containers) imported in the same period of 2023.

Exports (TEUs) were flat in March 2024 compared to the previous year. A total of 117,893 TEUs (63,166 containers) were recorded in March 2024 versus 117,924 TEUs (64,021 containers) in March 2023. Exports for the first quarter reached 324,253 TEUs (173,561 containers), a 1.4 percent decrease from the 328,885 TEUs (177,993 containers) recorded in the first quarter of 2023. 

Export empties increased 35.1 percent in March, totaling 228,312 TEUs compared with 168,963 TEUs in March 2023. For the first quarter of 2024, export empties reached 642,403 TEUs, a 14.8 percent increase from the 559,542 TEUs recorded during the same period of 2023. Import empties rose by 54 percent during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

March rail volume increased 9.3 percent from March 2023’s figure, totaling 54,860 containers. Rail volume from January through March 2024 was 7.9 percent greater than in the same period of 2023.

In March, 37,890 autos moved through the Port of New York and New Jersey, an increase of 0.2 percent compared to March 2023. Auto volume from January through March 2024 was 8.5 percent greater than in the same period of 2023.

View monthly cargo volume here.