Container throughput at US East Coast (USEC) ports could be set to overtake that seen along the US West Coast (USWC) after the latest statistics from import-export data company Datamyne show that throughput was slightly higher at the Port of New York and New Jersey in July, 2016, in comparison to June, 2016.
This follows news that much larger ships could be set to come to the US East Coast, both as a result of the expanded Panama Canal bringing in more containers, as well as the improvements in port infrastructure.
Improvements in port infrastructure have been one of the reasons why the Port of Baltimore has been able to berth ships from Maersk Line.
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Volumes at the Port of Savannah have also climbed by more than 15,000 TEU in July, 2016 in comparison to a month prior.
Total throughput at the 147 ports in the sample saw reached more than 1.8 million TEU in July, 2016, compared to more than 1.76 million in June, 2016.
Volumes have been bumpy in recent months, with previous reports that the USWC and USEC could be seeing increased levels of competition.
Technical Paper: The Future is Here: Cargo Handling for Mega-Ships
The recent inauguration of the Panama Canal is also a factor that could give USEC ports the upperhand since travel times could be cut by five days, compared to shifting freight via rail to the USEC East Coast from the USWC.
