The Port of New York
8.7 million TEU. Four marine terminals. Two railroads. Where every routing decision starts.
By the numbers
The Port of New York and New Jersey moved 8.7 million TEU through its four marine terminals in 2024 — an 11.4% year-over-year increase, and the busiest container port on the East Coast. The harbor is also the #1 US port for refrigerated cargo and a national gateway for furniture, apparel, vehicles, machinery, and consumer goods entering the Northeast.
The terminal portfolio
Choosing the right terminal isn't a clerical decision — it's an operational one that determines drayage cost, transit time, customs friction, and last-mile reach. Each terminal handles different cargo profiles, operates under different working agreements, and connects to different intermodal corridors.
Port Newark, NJ
The principal container facility for northeastern North America. Direct connection to CSX Kearny and Norfolk Southern Newark via the ExpressRail intermodal network. Major hub for Vietnam, China, and India container imports.
Elizabeth, NJ
The largest combined container facility on the East Coast. Maher Terminals is the largest privately-held marine terminal operator in North America. APM Terminals Elizabeth is operated by the Maersk-affiliated APM Terminals network — direct lift on/lift off connection to Maersk and 2M alliance vessels.
Staten Island, NY
Transferred to New York City ownership from PANYNJ in May 2024. The principal Staten Island gateway and a key node in the brand's reefer routing for fresh produce, frozen seafood, and pharma cold-chain destined for NYC retail and hospital networks.
Brooklyn, NY
Transferred to NYC ownership in May 2024 (alongside Howland Hook). The only major container facility located inside the five boroughs proper. Reduces last-mile drayage distance for Brooklyn and Manhattan-bound cargo by 15–35 miles vs. NJ-side terminals.
Intermodal rail
For inbound containers heading inland — Pittsburgh, Chicago, the Midwest, the Southeast — the routing decision starts with which Class I railroad to ramp the box onto. The wrong choice adds days to transit and dollars per mile. The right one keeps the freight off congested I-78 and the Holland Tunnel.
Class I · East
Kearny, NJ
CSX Transportation's primary Northeast intermodal hub. The default ramp for Midwest and Southeast inland routing. Lift fees and per-container cost structure differ from Norfolk Southern — ramp choice can swing landed cost by $200–$400 per container depending on destination.
Class I · East
Newark, NJ
Norfolk Southern's full-service intermodal terminal with direct on-dock and near-dock ExpressRail connections. Often the better choice for the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee manufacturing belt, and the Southeast — and for international intermodal moves originating at Maher or APM Elizabeth.
The drayage decision
Every container that lands at the harbor goes through the same operational decision sequence — and most 3PLs only seriously think about one or two of these. Getting all four right is what separates a routing decision from a routing guess.
Is it a 40-foot dry, a 45-foot high-cube, a 53-foot domestic, a refrigerated reefer, a flatcar, or a break-bulk load? The right chassis, the right tractor, the right driver classification, the right reefer plug-in window — wrong equipment at the gate adds 6+ hours of re-handle and triggers detention fees that compound every hour.
Bronx versus Brooklyn versus Queens versus Northern New Jersey is a 22% cost spread on last-mile delivery into NYC proper. Even before unloading, the routing decision needs to know which submarket dock the freight is heading to — staging at the wrong terminal can cost four to six hours of unnecessary drayage and force an overnight hold.
For inland-bound freight, the decision is drayage direct to the consignee or ramp at CSX Kearny / NS Newark for intermodal. Direct truck is faster end-to-end for Northeast destinations under 350 miles. Intermodal rail wins on cost and emissions for Pittsburgh, Cleveland, the Midwest. The break-even point is roughly 300–400 miles depending on the cargo class and the carrier rate at the moment.
Manhattan delivery runs on permit windows that most national 3PLs don't budget for — 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the largest truck classes in most zones, with overnight clearance available for select corridors. Add port appointment systems (PortPro, Voyage Control) that govern when a container can even leave the gate. The operational schedule starts at the dock, not at the destination.
Brief us on the harbor work
Drayage, intermodal, customs, last-mile. We'll bring back the route, the warehouse, the team, and the timeline.