The Top Ten US Ports By Container in 2022
The economic health of a nation depends in large measure on its ports. Since
around 90% of all commodities are moved by water, ports play a crucial role in
keeping global commerce flowing. The United States’ ports are among the busiest
among the world’s major container ports.
These massive American ports are vital to international commerce. The biggest
container ports in the U.S. make sure that goods worth billions of dollars are
moved safely and hire tens of thousands of people. This makes them important
economic centers.
Here is a list of the ten busiest U.S. container ports, along with some additional
information
The Los Angeles Harbor and Seaport, California
The Port of Los Angeles (POLA), often known as America’s Port, is one of the
busiest ports in the world and has maintained its position as the leading port in
North America for more than two decades due to its enormous container traffic.
When it comes to container traffic, the Port of Los Angeles is the seventeenth
busiest in the world. The main Californian gateway, which has 25 cargo facilities,
43 miles (69.2 km) of shoreline, and 116 miles (186.68 km) of rail, handles 20% of
all entering freight for the United States.
Port of Long Beach, California
The Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB) are both in
San Pedro Bay. When considering size and cargo volume throughput, the Port of
Long Beach ranks second in the United States and twenty-first among all container
ports worldwide. The port plays a crucial role in the flow of goods between the
United States and Asia. The Port of Long Beach (POLB) is home to 22 terminals,
six of which are dedicated to container ships, and provides service to 175 shipping
companies that link to 217 ports around the globe.
Port of New York City and New Jersey
When it comes to container shipping, no other East Coast port compares to the
Ports of New York and New Jersey. A whopping 72% of all vessels make their
first stop at this binational harbor. New York and New Jersey’s port complex is
widely regarded as the birthplace of the shipping container. The total length of its
shipping lanes, harbors, and terminals is about 386 kilometers. The port’s six
container terminals allow for simultaneous service by nine 14,000-TEU boats.
The Port of Savannah, Georgia
The Georgia Port in Savannah is home to ship-to-shore cranes for loading and
unloading cargo. The Port of Savannah handled 4.6 million TEU in 2020, making
it the biggest single-terminal container facility in North America. As the port’s
yearly container capacity increases by 750,000 TEU, this figure is expected to rise
by the year 2023.
Washington's Ports of Seattle and Tacoma
Combined in 2015, the two main ports in Washington State (Seattle and Tacoma)
formed the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA). As of 2015, NWSA was the
United States’ third-busiest port in terms of cargo volume. Manufacturing and
farming businesses all over the country benefit a lot from the easy access to
international markets that the ports of Seattle and Tacoma offer.
Port of Houston, Texas
The Port of Houston is the country’s biggest port for foreign waterborne tonnage
and the sixth busiest port overall in the United States. It also boasts the title of
being the busiest container port on the whole Gulf Coast of the United States. 52%
of the region’s project cargo passes via the Port of Houston. Over 200 public and
private terminals are spread out over the port’s 50 km.
Virginia's Port
The Port of Virginia is the seventh busiest port in the United States and the busiest
port on the East Coast. With an expected annual growth rate of 2.6% over the next
five years, the port anticipates a rise in the volume of cargo it processes. The total
capacity of the Port of Virginia was raised by 40% in 2020 as a result of the
construction of the container terminals Norfolk International Gateway and Virginia
International Gateway, which added 1 million TEU to the port’s yearly capacity.
The Port of Oakland, California
The Port of Oakland, on San Francisco Bay, is the United States’ ninth busiest port.
The port manages marine facilities covering 1,300 acres, and these facilities serve
a local market of about 14.5 million people. This port handles more than 95% of all
containerized commodities transported through Northern California.
South Carolina State Ports
South Carolina Ports (S.C. Ports) consists of the Port of Charleston and four
additional significant ocean terminals, and it is the ninth busiest port in the United
States. The ports of Charleston, Georgetown, Greer, and Dillon are all owned and
operated by S.C. Ports.
Port of Miami, Florida
Port Miami is one of the United States’ most rapidly expanding international ports
and is widely regarded as the world’s cruise capital. Among the greatest cargo ports
in the United States, it is also the busiest port for passengers. Cargo volumes have
increased annually, now above 1 million TEU for the last five years in a row.
Final Thoughts
Are any of these big US container ports a frequent destination for your outbound
overseas shipments? We at Vineyard Brokerage would be pleased to provide
further insights that you can put to use to reduce freight procurement costs,
improve real-time visibility into your shipments, and schedule shipments more
efficiently and economically, no matter where they’re going. Please make use of
our no-cost resources for shipping planning right now.
