The Port of New York and New Jersey, home to the busiest
container port on the East Coast, set a new record for annual cargo volume in
2014, surpassing the previous record set in 2012, according to newly-released
data.
During the year, the port handled 3.34 million cargo
containers, an increase of 5.4 percent over the previous year and 4.1 percent
more than in 2012, when the previous annual record was established.
By comparison, Puget Sound’s two biggest ports, in Seattle
and Tacoma, moved a combined total of 3.4 million TEUs in 2014. The nation’s
two busiest ports, in Los Angeles and nearby Long Beach, moved 8.3 million and
6.8 million TEUs, respectively, last year.
The record volumes for NY-NJ last year allowed the port to
maintain its position as the busiest on the East Coast with nearly 30 percent
of the total market share.
“Our port is continuing to reap the benefits of an uptick in
the economy, which has resulted in the hiring of more dockworkers and economic
growth for the region,” Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye said. “We
plan to continue our investments in the port in the coming years.”
During 2014, China remained the top import country serving
the port, with 923,975 import containers. Following China were Germany (179,715
import containers) and India (176,621 import containers).
In 2014, there were 2,432 vessel calls in the port, down 2.3
percent from the 2,488 vessel calls in 2013. The fewer vessel calls illustrate
that much of the cargo coming into the port is arriving in larger ships, a
trend the port says it expects will continue.
