The number of U.S. ports with peak volumes at the beginning of 2017 is constantly rising. Now New York and New Jersey reported an all-time monthly record.
In January 2017, the double port handled 296,432 containers or 517,668 TEUs, marking a growth of 8.3% to the corresponding pe[ds_preview]riod in 2016, when the previous January record of 273,747 containers or 477,905 TEUs had been reported.
Import loads (149,757 containers) rose by 5.5% compared to January 2016. Export loads (61,740 containers) rose by 8.0%, while export empties were ahead of January 2016 by 14.6% (83,731 containers). As well, cargo moved through the Port Authority’s ExpressRail system also set a monthly record in January 2017, handling 43,408 containers. Rail volumes finished ahead of January 2016 by 10.3%.
New York / New Jersey joins the group of U.S. ports reporting new peaks in January and the last year, despite the ongoing works to heighten the Bayonne bridge for ever larger container vessels calling the East Coast hub. Some argue that the trend might be caused by the expansion of the Panama Canal. Recently major ports like Los Angeles, Georgia or Seattle and Tacoma (forming the Northwest Seaport Alliance) announced good businesses in 2016 and at the beginning of 2017.
