Monthly cargo volume declines at Port of NY and NJ
April volume slips 7.5% overall; rail business continues to show growth, port officials say.
Cargo volume through the Port of New York and New Jersey fell 7.5% in April as retailers and factories worldwide continued to cut production and sales due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said this week.
Total volume for April was 559,929 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) compared to 605,263 TEUs in April 2019. Imports fell 4.7% and exports were down 10.2% during the month, officials said. Year-to-date volume through April was more than 2.3 million TEUs.
Officials said the port’s rail business continues to show growth. Total rail volume for January through April was up 6% compared to year-ago levels, although on a monthly basis April volume was down 0.8% compared to April 2019.
Separately, the Port Authority said April volume across all its facilities—including airports, public transportation, bridges and tunnels, and the seaport—was down dramatically in April and that it will seek $3 billion in direct federal aid to offset losses and advance its capital construction plan.