Port of New York, New Jersey container terminals closed by winter storm

New York — Container terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey remained closed on Feb. 2 amid a severe winter storm that brought heavy snow and 40-45 mph winds, the port authority said.

New Jersey's Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) and AMP Terminal Port Elizabeth (AMPT) and New York's Global Container Terminal closed on Feb. 1 and plan to reopen on Feb. 3.

Ship waiting times at the terminals were already at 24-48 hours before the storms hit the region due to high import volumes, Danish shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk said in an advisory to customers on Jan. 28.

Total container volumes handled at the Port of New York and New Jersey in November 2020 were 738,885 twenty-foot equivalent units, an increase of 23% from the same month in 2019.

Strong demand from Asian exporters to the US and Europe lifted Platts Container Rate 5 – North Asia to East Coast North America – to $5,300/FEU on Feb. 2 from $3,500/FEU six month ago on Aug. 3.

The New Jersey container terminals PNCT and PMPT will be open on Saturday, Feb. 6 to catch up on cargo volumes from the two-day closure, Maersk said in an advisory on Feb. 2.