THREE out of the four main container terminals at the US port complex of New York and New Jersey have extended their gate hours in a bid to clear the backlog of containers that piled up over the holiday period when the terminals were closed
THREE out of the four main container terminals at the US port complex of New York and New Jersey have extended their gate hours in a bid to clear the backlog of containers that piled up over the holiday period when the terminals were closed. The cargo logjam stems from two three-day weeks over the festive season and elevated cargo volumes due in part to shippers importing goods early to beat now-postponed tariff deadlines, reported IHS Media.
After all the main terminals closed on Christmas day and New Year's Day and the day preceding each holiday, port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) is remaining open until 8 pm this week to help clear containers from the terminal. It will be open Saturday from 7 am to 2 pm. The terminal usually closes at 6 pm on weekdays and doesn't open Saturday.
Maher Terminals, which usually closes on Saturday, was open last Saturday and will open this coming Saturday, from 8 am to 4 pm. GCT Bayonne has shifted the last time that a trucker doing a double move can enter the gates from 3.30 pm to 4 pm this week.
Truckers welcomed the gate extensions, saying they had helped the port largely avoid excessive congestion, although there were patches of delays nevertheless.
Loaded cargo passing through the port rose by 6.9 per cent year on year through November to 4.7 million TEU, data from the port authority of New York and New Jersey shows.
The extended gate hours come amid an ongoing debate among port stakeholders over whether the terminals should remain open for longer hours to boost cargo flows. Currently, all terminals close between 4 pm and 7 pm and normally stay shut over the weekend.
PNCT chief operating officer Chris Garbarino said the terminal extended its gates in part due to the loss of four gate days in two weeks and also because of 'non-scheduled calls of ships with Far East Asia import volumes.'
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