Port of New York and New Jersey

The Port of New York and New Jersey is a very important place for shipping and trade. It is located around the Statue of Liberty National Monument and covers a big area within a 25-mile radius. This port uses many waterways along the coast near New York City and northeastern New Jersey, making it one of the largest natural harbors in the world.

For many years, this port has been the busiest on the East Coast. In 2022, it became the busiest port in the United States for moving goods by ship. The airports near the port also help make it the top place in the country for international flights and for moving passengers and goods by air. There are special areas called foreign-trade zones within the port to help with trade.

Geography

Port district

The port district covers an area within about a 25-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. It includes parts of seventeen counties. Nine counties are fully inside the district: Hudson, Bergen, Essex, Union in New Jersey, and the five boroughs of New York City—which are New York, Bronx, Kings, Queens, and Richmond. Parts of other counties in New Jersey and New York are also included in the district.

Waterways

See also: New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary

Bodies of water

New York Harbor is one of the world's largest natural harbors.

The Atlantic Ocean lies southeast of the port. The sea entrance to the port is called the New York Bight, between the peninsulas of Sandy Hook and Rockaway.

In Lower New York Bay and its western arm, Raritan Bay, ships head west into Arthur Kill or Raritan River, or north to The Narrows. To the east is the Rockaway Inlet, leading to Jamaica Bay. The Narrows connects to the Upper New York Bay at the mouth of the Hudson River, sometimes called the North River. Large ships can travel upstream to the Port of Albany-Rensselaer. To the west lies Kill van Kull, a strait leading to Newark Bay, fed by the Passaic River and Hackensack River, and the northern entrance of Arthur Kill.

The Gowanus Canal and Buttermilk Channel are entered from the east. The East River is a broad strait that travels north to Newtown Creek and the Harlem River, turning east at Hell Gate before opening to Long Island Sound, which leads to the open sea.

Channels

See also: Hudson Canyon

The port has about 240 miles of shipping channels, along with anchorages and port facilities. Most ships need pilotage, and larger ships need tugboat help for sharper turns.

The Ambrose channel leads from the sea to Upper Bay, where it becomes the Anchorage Channel. Other channels include Bay Ridge, Red Hook, Buttermilk, Claremont, Port Jersey, Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, Port Newark, Elizabeth, and Arthur Kill. Anchorages are Stapleton, Bay Ridge, and Gravesend.

The natural depth of the harbor was about 17 feet, but it was deepened over time. By 1880, it reached 24 feet. By 1891, the Main Ship Channel was at least 30 feet deep. After the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, funding was provided to dredge channels to 40 feet deep at Bay Ridge, Red Hook, and Sandy Hook. In 1914, Ambrose Channel became the main entrance at 40 feet deep and 2,000 feet wide. During World War II, the main channel was deepened to 45 feet to allow larger ships.

In 2016, the Army Corps of Engineers finished a $2.1 billion project to deepen harbor channels to 50 feet, allowing Post-Panamax container ships to pass through the widened Panama Canal and the Suez Canal.

This dredging has raised environmental concerns because pollutants like PCBs lie just below the soil along channels connecting container facilities in Port Newark to the Atlantic. In June 2009, it was announced that 200,000 cubic yards of dredged PCBs would be stored at the former Yankee Stadium site and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

In many areas, the sandy bottom has been dug down to rock, which now needs blasting. Dredging equipment then removes the rock. In 2005, there were 70 dredging machines working, the largest such group in the world.

The Hudson channel, called the Anchorage Channel, is about 50 feet deep in the middle of Upper Bay. A project to replace two water mains between Brooklyn and Staten Island began in April 2012, which will eventually allow dredging the channel to nearly 100 feet. The Army Corps suggests keeping most channels at 50 feet deep. Dredging canals to 50 feet finished in August 2016.

The channels have bridges that limit how tall ships can be. The Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge has a height clearance of 228 feet. The Brooklyn Bridge has 135 feet of clearance, and the Bayonne Bridge was raised from 155 feet to 215 feet.

Pilotage

The Sandy Hook Pilots are licensed maritime pilots who help guide large ships, passenger liners, freighters, and tankers through the port district.

History

Early history

The area was home to the Lenape people, who moved with the seasons and used the water for travel and fishing. The water also had many oyster beds that were an important food source until pollution and land filling mostly destroyed them.

The first Europeans to visit were Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 and, later, Henry Hudson in 1609. The area became a busy port during the time of European settlement and trade.

19th century

In the early 1800s, canals like the Erie Canal brought goods from the American interior to the port. New inventions like the steam engine helped build railroads and large terminals. Many ships from Europe arrived, and millions of people came to the United States through places like Ellis Island.

20th century

During the World Wars, the port helped build ships and move troops. After World War I, a big strike stopped work at the port for weeks. By the 1970s, many old docks were no longer used as new ways of moving goods, like container ships, became common. New highways also changed how people and goods moved around the area.

21st century

In 2017, a very large ship passed under the Bayonne Bridge. Even bigger ships arrived in 2021.

Jurisdiction and regulation

The Port of New York and New Jersey has many groups that help manage and protect it. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey looks after ports, roads, trains, airports, and building projects. It also has its own police force. Another group, the Waterfront Commission, works to stop bad activities.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers keeps the waterways clear, and the United States Coast Guard helps with safety, like cleaning up spills and helping ships in trouble. Both New York and New Jersey have their own police for the waterways. The United States Park Police watch over places owned by the government, and the National Park Service takes care of historic spots, nature areas, and parks.

The port is a place where goods from other countries arrive, and groups like Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement make sure everything follows the rules. There are special areas for trading with other countries, called foreign trade zones.

Different groups, like the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey, the Teamsters, and the International Longshoremen's Association, help workers at the port.

Cargo infrastructure

Airports

Main article: Aviation in the New York metropolitan area

The airports in the Port of New York and New Jersey make up the largest airport system in the United States and the second largest in the world for passenger traffic. They also have the most total flights of any airport system globally. JFK air freight cargo operations are the busiest in the US for cargo flights. FedEx Express, the world's busiest cargo airline, uses Newark Liberty International Airport as its main hub for the region.

Container terminals

There are four main container terminals in the port:

• Howland Hook Marine Terminal
• Port Jersey Marine Terminal
• Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
• Red Hook Marine Terminal

These terminals are run by different companies such as A. P. Moller-Maersk Group and others. In 2010, plans were made to add more space for bigger ships at the Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne, helping the port handle larger vessels that could not fit under the Bayonne Bridge. By 2023, the port was the largest on the East Coast and third busiest in the United States, handling over 7.8 million containers.

ExpressRail

Main article: ExpressRail

ExpressRail is a rail network that helps move cargo from the port's big terminals. It connects to major rail companies like Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, and Canadian Pacific. This network helps move goods by train instead of truck.

Bulk cargo and marine transfer

Besides goods in boxes, the port also moves things like fuel and metal. These are handled at special places along the water, though some areas have had pollution problems.

Car float and Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel

Main article: New York New Jersey Rail

In the past, many train cars were moved by boat between New Jersey and Brooklyn. Today, only about 1,600 cars are moved this way each year. There are plans for a new train tunnel under the water to make this easier.

Port Inland Distribution Network

The Port Inland Distribution Network aims to move goods from the port to other places using boats and trains instead of trucks. This helps reduce traffic and pollution. Work on this started in 2003 but some services have stopped and started again over the years.

America's Marine Highway

America's Marine Highway is a plan to use rivers and canals to move goods. In 2016, improvements were made to a terminal in Red Hook, and boats began carrying goods between there and Newark. Other boat services have also started to help move materials more efficiently.

Cruise terminals and ferries

Cruise terminals

The golden age of big ships crossing the North Atlantic lasted from the late 1800s to after World War II. After that, airplanes became a popular way to travel, and many places where these big ships used to dock were left empty by the 1970s.

Today, most travel is for fun. Many cruises go to places in the Caribbean and the Southern Hemisphere, but there are also ships that travel across the ocean, like the RMS Queen Mary 2, which goes to Southampton, England. The places where cruise ships stop in the Port of New York and New Jersey are in the older part of the harbor. Together, these cruise spots are the sixth busiest in the United States and 16th busiest in the world for people traveling.

• Cape Liberty Cruise Port, MOTBY, Upper Bay
• Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, Buttermilk Channel, Upper Bay
• New York Passenger Ship Terminal, Hudson River

Ferries and sightseeing

People have been taking ferries between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan since the 1700s. The free Staten Island Ferry crosses the Upper Bay between South Ferry and St. George Ferry Terminal, carrying about 75,000 passengers each day on average.

Ferry service on the East River stopped in the early 1900s and on the Hudson River in the 1960s. But since the 1980s, it has grown a lot, with regular trips to many places in Manhattan, mostly below 42nd Street. Important stops include Hoboken Terminal, Battery Park City Ferry Terminal at World Financial Center, Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal, Weehawken Port Imperial, Pier 11/Wall Street, West Midtown Ferry Terminal, and the East 34th Street Ferry Landing. There are also many smaller stops for single routes, including the historic Fulton Ferry. Besides regular trips and those during busy times, there are special tours, trips to beaches in the Gateway National Recreation Area, and sight-seeing boats that go around Manhattan or into the Upper New York Bay.

• Circle Line Downtown
• Circle Line Sightseeing
• Ellis Island and Liberty Island
• Governor's Island Ferry (seasonal)
• Liberty Water Taxi
• New York Water Taxi
• NYC Ferry
• NY Waterway
• New York Beach Ferry
• SeaStreak
• Staten Island Ferry

Lights and lighthouses

The Port of New York and New Jersey has many lighthouses, both old and new. Some of these lighthouses are no longer in use. They help guide ships safely through the busy waterways around New York City and New Jersey.

Land reclamation and ocean dumping

Channelization and landfilling started during the colonial era and lasted well into the 20th century. The expansion of Lower Manhattan began in the 17th century when the Dutch settled New Amsterdam and continued into the 20th century.

Early materials used were shellfish and other waste, and later construction debris from projects like the New York City Subway and Pennsylvania Station. Rubble from the bombing of London was transported for ballast during World War II. New land has been created throughout the port, including large areas that are now Battery Park City, Ellis Island, Liberty State Park, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, and the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

From 1924 until 1986, sewerage sludge was moved by tugboat and barge to a point 12 miles offshore in the Atlantic. From 1986 to 1992 it was dumped at a site 106 nautical miles from Atlantic City, after which ocean dumping was banned.

Barges were also used to transport waste to Fresh Kills Landfill, the world's largest, which operated from 1948 to 1991. These operations were known to harm Long Island and Jersey Shore beaches, especially during the 1987 Syringe Tide.

Shipwrecks and abandoned boats

The port has many sunken ships, some of which you can see, while others rest on the floor of the waterways.

The Staten Island boat graveyard is a marine scrapyard located in the Arthur Kill near the Fresh Kills Landfill, on the West Shore of Staten Island.

Tourism and recreation

The Port of New York and New Jersey has many places to visit and enjoy. You can explore historic sites, beautiful walks, and nature areas. Some popular spots include the South Street Seaport, the USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and the Gateway National Recreation Area. Other fun places are the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island and Liberty Island, Hudson River Park, and Liberty State Park.

Economy

In 2010, over 4,800 ships arrived at the harbor, carrying more than 32 million metric tons of goods worth over $175 billion. The port's industry created many jobs, adding nearly $11.6 billion to personal income and over $37 billion to business income in the New York-New Jersey area.

Each year, the port handles around 3.2 million shipping containers and 700,000 cars. In 2014, the port moved a record number of containers, showing steady growth in its work. Some of the most important goods coming through the port include petroleum, appliances, vehicles, plastics, electronics, and chemicals.