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Port of New York/New Jersey handled more cargo than any other US container port in February and year to date
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The leading East Coast port moved 571,177 TEUs, the highest cargo volume among peer ports in the US, beating erstwhile No.1, Port of Los Angeles, by more than 83,000 TEUs
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Port of New York/New Jersey Authority chairman Kevin O’Toole says importers who had shifted from Port of LA in past months have committed to stick with the East Coast gateway
Port of New York and New Jersey has regained its status as top US gateway by moving the largest volume of container cargo in the United States in February 2023 and year to date.
The port defied the traditional February slump by moving 571,177 TEUs, the highest amount of cargo among peer ports including the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach o the US West Coast, the Port of New York and New Jersey Authority said April 4.
February is the slowest month for all US ports due to Lunar New Year holiday production slowdowns and business closures in Asia.
Container throughput at the twin ports exceeded Port of Los Angeles by more than 83,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and Port of Long Beach by more than 27,000 TEUs.
The hub’s status as top US gateway comes after it slipped to second-busiest in January, when it moved 645,430 TEUs.
For the first two months of 2023, New York/New Jersey was the busiest US gateway with a total throughput of 1,216,607 TEUs.
The port has been aggressively clearing out its empty container inventory, removing more than 390,000 TEUs so far this year. This helps improve seaport operations and fluidity by ensuring more port space for imports to be processed quickly in the future.
“The Port of New York and New Jersey is again No.1 in the nation,” Port Authority chairman Kevin O’Toole said.
“After years of unprecedented cargo growth, we are using this traditionally slow period to work with our port stakeholders who need to increase capacity throughout the regional supply chain.”
O’Toole said he expects a stronger second half this year, as the port authority has been in discussions with many importers that shifted volume to the US East Coast’s largest port and have committed to continue using the port for their imports.
The port’s regaining its status as top US gateway and the importers’ sticking with New York/New Jersey port deal Port of Los Angeles executive director Eugene Seroka a twin blow.
For the past few months, Seroka has been waging a personal campaign to win over importers and exporters who shifted their cargoes to New York at the height of last year’s port congestion at the West Coast gateway.
When container cargo volume at the Port of Los Angeles fell to its lowest in 3 years in February, Seroka said he expects business will improve in coming months as more factories in China reopen following the lifting of strict Covid restrictions.
Los Angeles Port, perennially the US’ busiest port until New York/New Jersey gained the status, announced on March 17 that it processed 487,846 TEUs in February this year, a 43% plunge from the previous February’s all-time record. It will be known in a fortnight how much the San Pedro Bay gateway has regained of its lost volumes.
But the remarks of O’Toole may dampen the Los Angeles port chief’s hopes.
