Among major developments is the construction of a new terminal on a 70-acre Jersey City site, with deepwater and capacity to handle post-panamax vessels. In addition, the first phase of the Port Jersey Marine Terminal is expected to be ready by the 2014 ‘deadline’.

Vessels accessing this facility will not face the clearance restrictions of the Bayonne Bridge – itself an issue being tackled in the port authority’s planning.

The Port Jersey terminal, formerly the Auto Marine Terminal, is next to the Global Marine Terminal. It will be served by a 35-acre on-dock rail facility.

In total, the port authority and terminal operators are committed to investments of $3bn “to ensure that the Port of New York and New Jersey has in place the infrastructure necessary to accommodate container trade volumes that are projected to double by 2020”, says the port.