Our Terminal

Port Elizabeth is APM Terminals' largest terminal on the east coast of North America, and offers the largest reefer capacity in the port of New York and New Jersey. The terminals four ZPMC ship-to-shore super post-panamax cranes are capable of handling the largest container vessels on the water today, up to 23 containers wide on-deck.

We are 100% dedicated to investing in our people, infrastructure, technology, and equipment necessary to service your stevedoring and marine terminal operations requirements. Over recent years APM Terminals has invested around USD $200 million to accommodate increased container traffic and ultra-large container ships (ULCS). New infrastructure included new ship-to-shore cranes, modernized IT systems and new truck gates.

The terminal handles over 2,500+ trucks and over 5,000 terminal gate transactions per day. In 2020, a new state-of-the-art gate complex opened, employing a modern truck appointment system to reduce queues and keep turn times to a minimum. Gate and yard technology features optical character recognition, radio frequency identification, global positioning systems, closed circuit television and weigh-in-motion scales for maximum efficiency. Despite heavy volumes in 2021, Truck turn times are averaging 52 mins for all moves and detention times for import containers are down 75% as customers take delivery of import cargo faster. This performance prompted The Bi-State Motor Carriers Association to award the terminal – terminal of the year 2021. 

In 2021, APM Terminals Elizabeth completed a $200 million infrastructure investment that made the terminal better and safer for ships, truckers and rail operations.  New infrastructure, including new ship-to-shore cranes, modernized IT systems and new truck gates were added.  

Road Connectivity

APM Terminals Port Elizabeth is conveniently located less than one mile off exit 13A of the New Jersey Turnpike, as well as Routes 1 & 9 for points north and south, and less than two miles from Interstate 78 for points west.

On-dock rail

Being the first port of call for the majority of U.S. East Coast-bound ocean carriers is a huge benefit and value for customers because we have the ability to move a container off a vessel to major inland markets in the Midwest and Canada, even before the vessel even leaves our terminal.

Using a direct-to-rail landing zone section on the terminal during vessel discharge operations, APM Terminals Elizabeth is able to expedite rail cargo to its near dock rail facility 12 hours (avg.) after discharge.

Once cargo arrives at the Millennium Marine Rail-operated terminal (an APM Terminals joint venture),  port Labor and APM Terminals teams work on the 18 track rail operation building doublestack trains for fast handoff to three Class I railroads (CSX, NS, CN) that take it to inland markets 2-4 days away. On the return trip, trains carrying U.S. exports call the terminal for loading on vessels, ensuring a smooth roundtrip railcar flow.

Key rail features

• 12 hour dwell time for import rail cargo on terminal combined with four outbound train departures daily is designed to alleviate supply chain strain with fast inland movement.
• Abundant space at Millennium Marine Rail facility and rail car capacity able to grow further.  
• Offers alternative gateway options for supply chain planners. 

Despite the pandemic, locomotive and railcar availability has been steady and reliable. The terminals also works closely with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to ensure train performance and rail infrastructure in the port is supportive of growth. The Port of New York and New Jersey has the largest rail lift capacity of any U.S. East Coast port.