NJ Ports Smash Records with 8.9M TEUs in 2025 Boom

Newark and Elizabeth's terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey processed 8.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2025, a 2.3% increase from 2024 and 4.3% above forecasts, according to the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. The Port Authority reported 5,955,798 loaded TEUs for the year, up 2.8% year-over-year, with December alone seeing 435,352 loaded TEUs. Imports reached 4.5 million TEUs, a 1.7% gain, while exports climbed 6.5% to 1.4 million TEUs; rail volume hit 718,942 containers, up 12.4%. This East Coast powerhouse, the largest on the seaboard with five terminals handling nine 14,000-TEU vessels at once, surpassed its 2023 volume of over 7.8 million TEUs.

The boom stems from businesses front-loading imports amid tariff uncertainties and strong consumer spending on holidays and e-commerce, mirroring a 13% North American cargo surge. A mid-2025 tariff pause sparked peak July and August volumes, with December's 652,471 TEUs slightly dipping from prior months. February 2025 set early tones with 699,240 TEUs, up 10.6% from 2024, highlighted by the OOCL Iris—the largest vessel ever at 16,828 TEUs. Truck visits spiked 27.8% and total moves 34.1% for the week ending April 27, 2025, to 112,282 units, though dwell times strained operations.

For New Jersey, the records translate to economic muscle: thousands of jobs in Union and Essex counties, bolstered supply chains for retailers from Jersey City warehouses to statewide distributors. Auto volumes dipped 11% to lower full-year totals, with December at 36,099 units down 1%. As the third-busiest U.S. port, it handles 3.2 million TEUs and 700,000 autos annually, cementing Newark-Elizabeth's role in state GDP growth post-pandemic. Officials eye sustained rail and vessel expansions to keep the edge.