The Port of New York-New Jersey recorded its busiest July ever, surpassing 800,000 twenty-foot equivalent units on surging inbound container flows as importers moved early on back-to-school and end-of-year holiday inventory ahead of a host of issues clouding the global supply chain.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in a release said July was the seventh-busiest month in the port’s history and the first month that total volume reached 800,000 TEUs since September 2022.
New York-New Jersey is the second-busiest gateway in the country for loaded cargo so far this year, trailing only the combined port complex of Los Angeles and Long Beach in San Pedro, Calif.
July 2024’s total was up 11% from the same month a year ago and 4% over July 2022, the month’s previous record. Volume was 14% ahead of June 2024.
North American container ports have seen a surge in early peak season volumes as shippers look to avoid delays caused by attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, and from potential issues at East and Gulf Coast ports following warnings by the International Longshoremen’s Association that it will strike if a new contract is not in place by Oct. 1.
The bi-state agency said the port has handled 5,016,672 TEUs through the first seven months of the year, up 12% from the same period in 2023, and a 16% jump from the first seven months of 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Total loaded import and export volume was 3,376,010 TEUs from January through July, ranking second to LA-Long Beach.