The Port of New York and New Jersey set a new record in 2014, surpassing the previous record set in 2012, announced the Port Authority.
During the year, the port handled 3,342,286 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. The record volumes allowed the port to maintain its position as the busiest on the East Coast with nearly 30 percent of the total market share.
During 2014, China remained the top import country serving the port, with 923,975 import containers. Following China are Germany (179,715 import containers) and India (176,621 import containers). The top import commodities in 2014 were furniture, beverages and appliances.
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 that the port expects will continue after the Bayonne Bridge is raised.
Construction on the $1.6 billion bridge project is continuing, and, when completed in the summer of 2016, will allow new, larger post-Panamax vessels to travel underneath it.
Work also is continuing on the 50-foot harbor deepening project, which also is expected to be completed early 2016. The project also will allow new, larger vessels to call on port terminals.