Port Operations Glossary – Port Authority of NY & NJ
Key Performance Metrics
- Turn Times: The amount of time a truck spends inside a marine terminal to complete a transaction (measured in minutes).
- Single Moves (Mins): The average time required for a truck to complete a single transaction, such as picking up or dropping off one container.
- Double Moves (Mins): The average time required for a truck to complete two transactions in a single terminal visit (e.g., dropping off one container and picking up another).
- Total Moves (Units): The total number of container transactions completed at the port terminals during the reporting period.
- Number of Trouble Tickets: Exceptions or issues requiring special handling or resolution during terminal operations.
- Unique Truck Visits: The total number of individual truck entries to port terminals during the reporting period.
- Terminal Departure Dwell (Days): The average number of days a container remains at a marine terminal after vessel discharge until it leaves via truck or rail.
- Import Rail Departure Dwell (Days): The average number of days a container destined for rail transport remains at the terminal before departing on a train.
- Number of Containers: The total count of shipping containers present at the port during the reporting period.
Operational Terms
- Gate Activity: The movement of trucks in and out of marine terminals, typically measured by RFID readers at terminal gates.
- YoY (Year-over-Year): A comparison of metrics between the current reporting period and the same period in the previous year.
- PortTruckPass: The system used to track and manage truck movements within the port complex.
- RFID Readers: Radio Frequency Identification technology used to scan and record trucks entering marine terminals.
- Intermodal: Transportation involving multiple modes (e.g., ship to rail to truck) with containers transferred between these different transportation systems.
- Intermodal Connectivity: The efficiency of transfers between different transportation modes, particularly between marine terminals and rail facilities.
- Intermodal Transfer Bottlenecks: Points of congestion or delay in the process of transferring containers between transportation modes.
- Last-Mile Distribution: The final stage in the delivery process from a distribution center to the end customer.
Global Shipping Terms
- Red Sea/Suez Canal Vessels: Ships that would normally transit through the Suez Canal to travel between Asia and Europe/East Coast North America.
- Cape of Good Hope Rerouting: Alternative shipping route around the southern tip of Africa, used when the Suez Canal route is unavailable or problematic. This route adds significant time and distance to voyages.
Infrastructure & Projects
- PSCI (Port Street Corridor Improvement): Infrastructure project to enhance transportation corridors servicing the port.
- Infrastructure Utilization: The degree to which physical port assets (cranes, berths, yards, gates) are being used relative to their capacity.
- Supply Chain Resilience: The ability of the port and related logistics networks to adapt to and recover from disruptions.
Statistical Terms
- Weekly Average: The mean value of a metric calculated over a seven-day period.
- Percentage Points (pp): Unit used to express the arithmetic difference between two percentages (e.g., a change from 10% to 15% is an increase of 5 percentage points).
- Growth Rate: The percentage increase in a metric compared to a previous time period.
Executive Summary
The Port of New York and New Jersey experienced a significant surge in activity for the week ending April 27, 2025, with truck visits increasing by 27.8% compared to the previous week. Total moves rose by 34.1%, reaching 112,282 units—the highest level in recent months. However, this operational intensity has led to increased turn times and dwell periods, with rail dwell time showing a particularly sharp increase of 57.55% to 4.38 days. Container inventory slightly decreased by 2.71% to 31,071 containers, but remains 26.72% higher than the same period last year. The ongoing Red Sea crisis continues to impact port operations, with rerouted vessels contributing significantly to volume.
Truck Visit Activity
The Port recorded 86,998 truck visits for the week ending April 27, 2025, representing a dramatic 27.8% increase from the previous week’s 68,076 visits. This reverses the downward trend observed in previous weeks and is 19.14% higher than the comparable period last year. The current week’s figures also reflect an official trend of “Up 10.2% versus 2024” as noted in the port’s statistics.
The weekly trend shows significant volatility in truck visits over the past five weeks:
- Week of 3/30/2025: 77,363 visits
- Week of 4/6/2025: 73,754 visits
- Week of 4/13/2025: 73,182 visits
- Week of 4/20/2025: 68,076 visits
- Week of 4/27/2025: 86,998 visits
This represents a substantial 27.8% increase from the previous week, suggesting a potential surge in cargo processing or clearing of backlogs at the port.
Turn Times and Operational Efficiency
Turn times for the week ending April 27, 2025, show significant increases compared to the previous week:
- Single moves: 46.06 minutes (up 14.83% from last week)
- Double moves: 75.22 minutes (up 20.43% from last week)
These increases likely reflect the higher operational tempo at the port, with more truck visits and moves potentially causing congestion and longer processing times. Compared to late March, when single moves averaged 38.78 minutes and double moves averaged 63.23 minutes, current turn times show a notable deterioration in operational efficiency.
Total moves for the week were 112,282 units, up 34.1% from last week’s 83,731 and 21.22% higher than the same period last year. This represents the highest level of total moves in recent months, indicating intense activity at the port. The number of trouble tickets increased to 6,318, up 15.23% from the previous week and 48.76% higher than the same period last year.
Container Inventory and Dwell Times
Container inventory showed a slight decrease to 31,071 containers, down 2.71% from last week’s 31,936. However, this still represents a 22.07% increase from late March (25,454 containers) and a substantial 26.72% increase year-over-year (24,520 containers in May 2024).
The terminal departure dwell time increased to 4.05 days, up 4.38% from last week’s 3.88 days. This continues the upward trend from late March, when the figure was 3.56 days, representing a 13.76% increase over that period. Compared to last year’s 1.98 days, current terminal dwell time has more than doubled with a 104.55% increase.
Import rail departure dwell time showed the most dramatic deterioration, reaching 4.38 days, up 57.55% from the previous week and 23.73% from late March. Compared to the 1.27 days recorded in May 2024, current rail dwell time has increased by a staggering 244.88%. This suggests significant congestion in the rail transport system and may be a critical area requiring operational improvements.
Week-over-Week and Year-over-Year Performance
Overall port performance metrics show significant volatility across different timeframes:
| Metric | vs Last Week | vs Last Month | vs Last Year |
| Truck Visits | +27.80% | +12.45% | +19.14% |
| Total Moves | +34.10% | +11.82% | +21.22% |
| Container Inventory | -2.71% | +22.07% | +26.72% |
| Terminal Dwell Time | +4.38% | +13.76% | +104.55% |
| Rail Dwell Time | +57.55% | +23.73% | +244.88% |
| Trouble Tickets | +15.23% | -5.53% | +48.76% |
| Single Moves Time | +14.83% | +18.77% | +2.17% |
| Double Moves Time | +20.43% | +18.96% | +6.12% |
The most significant developments are the dramatic increases in truck visits and total moves compared to last week, while container inventory has slightly decreased. The concerning trends include the substantial increases in dwell times compared to both last week and last year, particularly the rail dwell time, which has more than tripled compared to last year.
Impact of Red Sea Rerouting
The Port of New York and New Jersey continues to feel the impact of vessels rerouted due to the ongoing conflict in the Red Sea region. Approximately six vessels were redirected to Port Newark/Elizabeth during this period due to security concerns, with each vessel estimated to carry about 10,000 containers.
This situation aligns with broader global trends, as the Red Sea serves as a critical conduit for approximately 30% of global container traffic. According to the World Bank, “The Red Sea, a critical conduit for 30% of the world’s container traffic, is currently facing a shipping crisis of unprecedented scale” (Navigating troubled waters: The Red Sea shipping crisis and its global repercussions). The recent conflict has disrupted this vital shipping route, causing vessels to reroute around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding considerable distance to each journey and significantly increasing transport times and freight costs.
The rerouting has contributed an estimated 60,000 additional containers to the port’s volume, which represents a substantial portion of the port’s current container inventory. This influx helps explain the significant year-over-year increase in container counts and the operational strain visible in increased dwell times and turn times.
Industry analysts have noted that “the rerouting of ships around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope equates to a roughly 30% increase in transit times, and this implies an approximately 9% reduction in effective global container shipping capacity” (J.P. Morgan Research, “The Impacts of the Red Sea Shipping Crisis”). For ports like New York and New Jersey, this has meant absorbing additional volume while managing the ripple effects throughout the supply chain.
The current situation demonstrates the port’s crucial role in maintaining supply chain resilience during global disruptions. However, the substantial increases in dwell times and operational metrics suggest that the port is experiencing strain in processing this additional volume efficiently.
Recent Port Developments
The Port of New York and New Jersey has recently made significant strides in enhancing its infrastructure and capacity. In a landmark development, the Port Authority announced a 33-year lease extension with APM Terminals, the operator of the port’s second-largest container terminal. According to the Port Authority, this new agreement “includes major investments and capacity enhancements by APM Terminals at its container terminal” (Breaking Waves, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey).
In terms of vessel capacity, the port continues to set new records. In February 2025, the OOCL Iris, a 16,828 TEU vessel, became “the largest ship to call on the Port of New York and New Jersey to date” (Breaking Waves, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey). This milestone demonstrates the port’s growing capacity to handle ultra-large container vessels, a capability that has become increasingly important with shifting global shipping patterns.
The port has also started 2025 with strong performance indicators. According to official port statistics, “February’s total volume of 699,240 TEUs represented a 10.6 percent increase from the 632,455 TEUs recorded in February 2024” (Breaking Waves, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey). This growth trend has continued into the spring months as evidenced by the current data.
These developments position the Port of New York and New Jersey well for handling increased volumes, but the current week’s metrics suggest that operational challenges remain, particularly in terms of dwell times and processing efficiency during peak activity periods.
Conclusion and Outlook
The Port of New York and New Jersey is experiencing unprecedented activity levels for the week ending April 27, 2025, with dramatic increases in truck visits and total moves compared to the previous week. While this demonstrates the port’s capacity to handle large volumes, the corresponding increases in turn times and dwell periods, particularly for rail operations, suggest operational challenges that need addressing.
Key findings from this week’s report include:
- The 27.8% increase in truck visits and 34.1% increase in total moves indicate a significant surge in port activity, potentially reflecting clearing of backlogs or increased arrivals
- The 57.55% increase in rail dwell time represents a critical area requiring attention, as efficient rail operations are essential for moving containers inland
- Container inventory remains high compared to the previous year (+26.72%) but showed a slight decrease week-over-week (-2.71%)
- Turn times have increased substantially from the previous week, with single moves up 14.83% and double moves up 20.43%
- The Red Sea crisis continues to impact operations, with rerouted vessels contributing significantly to overall volume
Looking ahead, the port should focus on improving rail operations and terminal efficiency to manage the high volume effectively. Monitoring the following metrics will be crucial in the coming weeks:
- Whether rail dwell time continues to increase or if operational adjustments can bring it back in line with previous levels
- If the surge in truck visits represents a new baseline or a temporary spike
- The continued impact of Red Sea rerouting on overall port capacity and operational metrics
- Whether terminal dwell times can be reduced from the current 4.05 days
While the port has demonstrated resilience in handling increased volume, sustained improvement in operational efficiency will be essential to maintain smooth operations, particularly if global shipping disruptions continue to impact volume and patterns at East Coast ports.
