New York-New Jersey Port Terminals Reopen

All marine container terminals at Port of New York-New Jersey have now reopened or are close to reopening after having been closed for days due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The Port Newark Container Terminal and the Global Terminal opened their gates at 7 am for truckers on the morning of Nov. 5 and welcomed their first vessels since the hurricane the night of Nov. 4.

The Port Elizabeth Terminal reopened the morning of Nov. 4 with the arrival of four vessels at the Maher Terminals facility and another at APM Terminals’ container terminal. Longshoremen were back to work and unloading cargo at about 8 am Sunday, according to a Port Authority of New York-New Jersey news release.

Also on Nov. 5, the Red Hook Container Terminal in Brooklyn received its first cargo vessel since the storm. The New York Container Terminal on Staten Island has now also reopened, with the first ship scheduled to arrive the night of Nov. 6. Four additional vessels are also scheduled to arrive at the terminal this week, according to the Port Authority.

With the port’s closure, ships had been forced to either idle offshore or leave for other destinations on the US East Coast or elsewhere.

Although the hurricane led to the closings of numerous ports along the Eastern seaboard, including facilities in Maine, Connecticut, Virginia and Maryland, most of those reopened in the day or two following the storm. New York-New Jersey, which is near where the hurricane struck hardest, was surged by nearly four feet of water and was without power for days.

NY-NJ is the third busiest port in the US, after Los Angeles and Long Beach. In 2011, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey handled a record 5.5 million 20-foot equivalent units worth more than $185 billion.

Port of New York-New Jersey Closed Indefinitely

The Port of New York-New Jersey has been closed indefinitely due to Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the area earlier this week.

“Port Authority staff and engineers remain on site at all Port Authority facilities to inspect conditions and assess damage,” the Port Authority of New York-New Jersey said in an Oct. 31 news release regarding the seaport’s status. “Our primary goal is to ensure the safety of our workers and those who use our facilities. We will resume operations at our facilities as early as possible, but only when it is safe to do so.”

With the port’s closure, ships have been forced to either idle offshore or leave for other destinations. In an interview with the Virginian-Pilot newspaper, Virginia Port Authority spokesman Joe Harris said that on Nov. 1, the Port of Hampton Roads was expected to receive two shipments of containers and vehicles originally bound for New York-New Jersey.

The US Coast Guard, which has been assessing damage caused by the hurricane, has said one of its highest priorities now is seeing that the port returns to full operations.

“The United States is a maritime nation and we rely heavily on the ports for commerce – 95 percent of our goods come to us by way of sea,” USCG Vice Adm. Parker said following an Oct. 31 survey of the devastation. “The port of New York and New Jersey is vital to our nation’s economy and we are doing everything humanly possible to get the port back to full operations. This is an all-hands on deck evolution.”

Although the hurricane led to the closings of numerous ports along the Eastern seaboard, including facilities in Maine, Connecticut, Virginia and Maryland, most of those have reopened. New York-New Jersey, which is near where the hurricane struck hardest, is still without power.

NY-NJ is the third busiest port in the US, after Los Angeles and Long Beach. It handles between three and four billion cargo containers annually, valued at a combined $175 billion.