American Shipper: "During the year, 2,011 containerships called the port, down from 2,184 calls in 2016 and 2,251 in 2015. “The fewer vessel calls illustrate that much of the containerized cargo coming into the port is arriving in larger more environmentally friendly ships, a trend the port expects will continue now that the Bayonne Bridge has been raised,” the port explained in a statement.
The Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project, which was completed in June 2017, raised the clearance under the crossing from 151 feet to 215 feet, allowing ships as large as 18,000 TEUs to sail beneath the bridge to port facilities in Newark, Elizabeth and Staten Island.
In the wake of the bridge raising, one of the port’s major shipping lines, CMA CGM, began a new service to the port using primarily 14,000-TEU ships.
“The investment we made to raise the Bayonne Bridge is clearly paying dividends by driving up cargo volumes and significantly boosting the jobs and economic activity the port generates for the region,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said."
