Port Jersey, officially the Port Jersey Port Authority Marine Terminal and referred to as the Port Jersey Marine Terminal, is an
intermodal freight transport
Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation (e.g., rail, ship, aircraft, and truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing ...
facility that includes a
container terminal
A container port or container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example train ...
located on the
Upper New York Bay
New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...
in the
Port of New York and New Jersey
The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
It includes the system of navigable wate ...
. The municipal border of the
Hudson County cities of
Jersey City
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.[Bayonne
Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...]
runs along the long pier extending into the bay.
The facility was created between 1972 and 1976 and acquired by the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
in July 2010. Its major tenant is GCT Bayonne, a
post-panamax
Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
shipping facility operated by Global Container Terminals.
GCT Bayonne has been modernized. In May 2013 a 900 foot (270m) berth extension was completed, increasing the total dock face to 2,700 feet (820m) of contiguous berth, allowing the facility to handle the latest Suez Max vessels.
Much of Port Jersey is part of United States
Foreign-Trade Zone 49. Most of the area in and around the facility is restricted, though a walkway along its northern side is accessible to the general public and may eventually connect with the
Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is a promenade along the Hudson Waterfront in New Jersey. The ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and th ...
. A very small bird sanctuary (specifically for the
least tern) is also located on the promenade.
History
The area, east of the
Greenville section of Jersey City where was originally tidal marshes and white cedar swamps, which was first used for industrial purposes beginning in the 1800s.
The pier that become Port Jersey was created in the between 1972 and 1976 using landfill.
The facility was once known as the NorthEast Auto Terminal (NEAT) and was operated as a private auto import and export facility for several decades before its purchase in 2008 by the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
. The location of the PA Auto Marine Terminal and its relatively airdraft-free deepwater access for larger vessels led to the PANYNJ to convert the facility into a container terminal. Anticipating the needs of the planned and existing super-panamax containerships which will call in the port upon the completion of the new Panama Canal Megalocks, NEAT was incrementally shut down and its share of the auto import/export market completely transferred to the Bayonne Auto Terminal and the Port Newark FAPS facility by 2011.
After the PANYNJ purchase the container terminal facilities were expanded in conjunction with the main tenant, Global Terminals.
The largest ship ever to call at the Port of New York-New Jersey, the
MOL Benefactor, docked at Port Jersey in July 2016 after sailing from China through the newly widened Panama Canal.
Modernization brought to GCT Bayonne has been multifaceted. In May 2013 a 900 foot berth extension was completed, increasing the total dock face to 2,700 feet of contiguous berth, allowing the facility to handle the latest Suez Max vessels. https://www.ajot.com/premium/ajot-gct-bayonne-mixing-things-up-in-ny-nj
Channels
Ambrose Channel
Ambrose Channel is the only shipping channel in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey. The channel is considered to be part of Lower New York Bay and is located several miles off the coasts of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Breezy Point, ...
is the main shipping channel in and out of the
Port of New York and New Jersey
The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
It includes the system of navigable wate ...
. Branching canal to the south the Port Jersey Channel separates the pier from the peninsula pier of a former military base,
Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne
Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne (MOTBY) was a U.S. military ocean terminal located in the Port of New York and New Jersey which operated from 1967 to 1999. From 1942 to 1967 the site was the Bayonne Naval Drydock. The site is on Upper New Yor ...
(MOTBY). The a multi-use area is home to the
Cape Liberty Cruise Port
The Cape Liberty Cruise Port is one of three trans-Atlantic passenger terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is located in Bayonne, New Jersey at the north side of the long pier of the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, a former military ...
(one of the
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
's three cruise ship terminals), residential and commercial buildings, and land owned by the PANYNJ to be further developed as port facilities. Deepening of the Port Jersey Channel to 50 feet was authorized by the
Army Corps of Engineers in 2010. and completed in 2016. To the north lies Claremeont Terminal.
Rail
Port Jersey is one of the few areas on the
Bergen Neck
Bergen Neck is the peninsula between the Upper New York Bay and the Newark Bay in the Hudson County, New Jersey municipalities of Bayonne and Jersey City. Its southernmost tip, Bergen Point, is separated from Staten Island by the Kill van Kul ...
peninsula where freight rail lines are still in use. In October 2010 the PANYNJ announced plans to develop
ExpressRail
ExpressRail is a network of on- or near-dock rail yards supporting intermodal freight transport at the major container terminals of the Port of New York and New Jersey. The development of dockside trackage and rail yards for transloading has bee ...
Port Jersey, allowing for more transfers to trains, and thus reducing transfers to trucks. Trains will use a renovated
National Docks Secondary
National Docks Secondary is a freight rail line within Conrail's North Jersey Shared Assets Area in Hudson County, New Jersey, used by CSX Transportation. It provides access for the national rail network to maritime, industrial, and distributi ...
freight line to access the national network, part of the Liberty Freight Corridor. In December 2016, construction began on the $600 million Express Rail facility. The facility will feature 9,600 feet of track serviced by rail mounted gantry cranes that will have an annual capacity of 250,000 container lifts. Construction was scheduled to be completed by mid-2018. The first phase of the project, with four tracks and two gantry cranes, opened on January 7, 2019. The second and final phase of the project, with four additional tracks bringing the total number of tracks to eight, was opened on June 17, 2019.
Road
Port Jersey is served by
New Jersey Route 440
Route 440 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It comprises two segments, a freeway in Middlesex County linking Interstate 287 (I-287) and the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), in Edison to the Outerbridge Crossing in Perth Amboy and a f ...
which connects with
Bayonne Bridge
Bayonne Bridge is an arch bridge spanning the Kill Van Kull and connecting Bayonne, New Jersey with Staten Island in New York City. It carries New York State Route 440 (NY 440) and New Jersey Route 440. It is the sixth-longes ...
. Nearby is Exit 14A of the
Newark Bay Extension of the
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not cons ...
.
New Jersey Route 185
Route 185 is a short one-block-long state highway in Jersey City in the U.S. state of New Jersey, between Route 440 and Linden Avenue. Route 185 is a freeway in the Greenville neighborhood of Jersey City. It is parallel to Interstate 78 (the ...
connects the facility to
Greenville Yard.
Wind turbines
In 2010 the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
announced its intentions to build a five tower
wind farm
A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...
at Port Jersey within three years.
The windfarm is part of a larger plan to expand the
container port
A container port or container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example train ...
on the manmade peninsula to accommodate
post-panamax
Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
ships. In May 2012, Global Container Terminals announced detailed plan of the port extension. It included the installation of 9 wind turbines in order to meet a zero emissions footprint of their crane operation during periods of wind power generation. As of mid-2017, this proposal has not seen any meaningful progress.
Solid waste
Port Jersey is the key transload terminal for solid waste from New York City barges to railcars. In 2004, the city announced its plans to minimize haulage of waste by truck. Jersey City benefits from a $10 million initial payment and annual payments of $250,000 for the arrangement. The plan faced opposition initially. In 2010, the plan was approved, with $118 million budgeted by the Port Authority.
In 2010, the PANYNJ purchased the yard to begin the project. Waste handling improvement projects have continued in context of other improvements to the
Greenville Rail Yard.
See also
*
Geography of New York Harbor
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
*
Rail freight transportation in New York City and Long Island
From the start of railroading in America through the first half of the 20th century, New York City and Long Island were major areas for rail freight transportation. However, their relative isolation from the mainland United States has always pose ...
*
Wind power in New Jersey
Wind power in New Jersey is in the early stages of development. As of 2022, New Jersey has just six wind turbines, but the state has plans to develop several major offshore wind projects on the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean off the sout ...
References
External links
The Port of New York and New JerseyGCT BayonneNew York New Jersey Rail*
{{Hudson County Transportation Network
Container terminals
Economy of Jersey City, New Jersey
Geography of Hudson County, New Jersey
Greenville Yard
Neighborhoods in Hudson County, New Jersey
Piers in New Jersey
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Port of New York and New Jersey
Ports and harbors of New Jersey
Transportation buildings and structures in Hudson County, New Jersey
1976 establishments in New Jersey