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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) cargo volumes rose 16 percent in 2010, an "encouraging sign" of economic growth, PANYNJ officials said in a prepared statement.

Total container traffic in the port reached 5,292,020 loaded and empty 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) compared with 4,561,527 TEUs in 2009. Last year’s volume just missed surpassing the annual record of 5,299,105 TEUs set in 2007.

Loaded TEUs totaled 4,097,420 in 2010, while loaded imports and exports totaled 2,579,093 and 1,518,327 TEUs, respectively, according to terminal operator data. Imports increased 14.9 percent and exports rose 9 percent compared with 2009.

The port's ExpressRail system handled 376,770 containers, up 22.3 percent compared with 2009.

Total general cargo volume increased to 32.2 million metric tons in 2010 compared with 28.2 million metric tons the previous year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. General cargo imports rose 14.3 percent to 21 million metric tons, while general exports increased 13.9 percent to 11.2 million metric tons.

Total annual bulk cargo fell 1 percent to 49.2 million metric tons compared with 49.7 million metric tons in 2009. Total cargo volume by weight (bulk and general cargo combined) grew 4.5 percent to 81.4 million metric tons compared with 77.9 million the previous year.

To support what’s projected to be "modest" annual cargo growth over the long term, the port plans to undergo $283 million worth of improvements this year, including upgrading the port road network and enhancing the ExpressRail system, as well as continuing a program to deepen the port’s channels to 50 feet.
 
"In this economic environment, the competition for port business is fierce," said PANYNJ Executive Director Chris Ward. "That is why we continue to take steps with our industry partners to improve our port infrastructure to ensure we remain a national and global leader in port commerce."