Port of New York and New Jersey Sets New Cargo Record

The Port of New York and New Jersey exceeded its previous record for annual cargo volumes in 2015 by more than 10 percent, the Port Authority said Monday.

During the year, the port handled 6.3 million TEUs, an increase of 10.4 percent over 2014.

“The record volumes allowed the port to maintain its position as the busiest on the East Coast with nearly 30 percent of the total market share. Despite the increases in cargo, the Port of New York and New Jersey has experienced a 33 percent reduction in port emissions pollutants since 2006 due to environmental initiatives it has implemented,” the port said.

ExpressRail, the Port Authority’s ship-to-rail system serving New York and New Jersey marine terminals, also set a new record, handling 522,244 containers, an increase of 12.2 percent over 2014.

In addition, in 2015, the port reported a 21.5 percent increase in vehicles handled in the port – from 392,704 vehicles handled in 2014 to 477,170 handled in 2015, which is partly due to the port’s targeted incentive program.

The significant infrastructure investments we have made in our port continue to drive job growth and economic activity in the region, and have set the table for continued long-term growth,” said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye. “Moving forward, we will continue to work in partnership with all port stakeholders so we can efficiently and effectively handle greater volumes of cargo in the years to come.”

The 2015 increase in port activity was fueled by an 8.4 percent increase in import loaded containers, from 2.9 million imported TEUs in 2014 to 3.2 million TEUs in 2015.

China remained the top import country serving the port, with 1 million import TEUs. Following China is India with 196,956 import TEUs and Germany with 189,622 import TEUs.

There were 2,251 vessel calls in 2015, down 7.4 percent from vessel calls in 2014. The fewer vessel calls illustrate that much of the cargo coming into the port is arriving in larger ships, a trend that the port expects will continue after the Bayonne Bridge is raised.