East cost port expansion and improvement plans

Some operators are routing shipments to avoid West Coast congestion by utilizing Southeast and East Coast ports. Long-term these ports are planning expanded operations and infrastructure.

  • New York/New Jersey: Marine terminal operators in the Port of New York and New Jersey are planning new capacity for ultra-large container ships. The US Army Corps of Engineers is seeking authorization from the US Congress for dredging the East Coast Portsport’s waterways down to 55 feet, down from their current 50 feet depth. This would make New York-New Jersey one of the deepest seaports on the US East Coast accessible to 20,000 TEU containerships. There is not a timeline for completion.
  • Mobile: Another 32 acres will be added to APM Mobile’s existing 115-acre footprint at the Choctaw Marine Terminal on the terminal’s north side. Expansion will begin later this year. The first 19 acres are expected to be ready by 2024 and the remaining 13 by 2025. APM wants to bring its capacity at the port up to 1.5 million TEU in the coming years.
  • Savannah: The US Department of Transportation has awarded $6.2 million to upgrading part of tracks that connect the port of Savannah to Georgia’s first inland port, part of the broader $368 million in grants the agency awarded as part of a nationwide railroad investment program.
  • Baltimore: The Port of Baltimore also was awarded a grant of $15.6 million through the program to fund new on-dock railroad tracks and lifting equipment, part of the port’s long-term plan to boost its intermodal reach.
  • Port of Virginia: A $69 million infusion of federal funds will allow the Port of Virginia to begin work on the next phase of its dredging project, which along with other enhancements will allow the port to handle up to six post-Panamax vessels simultaneously in the coming years.
  • The Port of Charleston: This Port has been working to make truck operations more efficient for several years with a $1.2 billion capital improvement investment projects.