The Port of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) will implement a container fee on any long-dwelling import or export containers. The goal of the tariff is to reduce an excess of empty containers dwelling at the port and free up space for container pickup. It includes both loaded and empty containers.

The Quarterly container imbalance fee, announced Tuesday morning, will be effective as of September, 2022, pending a mandatory 30-day federal notice.

“The Port of New York and New Jersey is facing record import volumes, leading to empty containers accumulating in and around the port complex. They are now affecting the regional supply chain that is already under stress from various sources across the country,” said Port Director Bethann Rooney. “We emphatically encourage ocean carriers to step up their efforts to evacuate empty containers quicker and at higher volumes to free up much-needed capacity for arriving imports in order to keep commerce moving through the port and the region.”

In addition to the tariff, the port is setting mandatory container export levels.

Under the new rules, ocean carriers’ total outgoing container volume must equal or exceed 110% of their incoming container volume during the same period. If they fail to achieve this, the ocean carriers will be charged $100 per container of imbalance. Rail volume is not included.

The PANYNJ said the fees will offset the costs of providing additional storage capacity and other handling expenses due to “the glut of empty containers.”