Newark – On the walls of the control building from which the executives at Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) oversee and manage the port, hang photographs depicting the history of the terminal’s development. They serve as a reminder of where New York’s port started— here in Newark, with airliners literally flying overhead because the city’s second airport is so close by (yet airspace conflicts are not an issue here)—and how, during the 1930s and then the 1940s, these piers served other purposes, especially supporting logistics for the masses of American troops fighting in Europe during World War II. Jim Pelliccio, President and CEO of PNCT, is the one who explains each of these photos, which span every era of New York’s port history—inevitably intertwined with the history of the city itself.
The last image on that wall shows the port in 2023, but Pelliccio (who is “very proud” of his Italian heritage) is looking to the future, to an expansion plan currently valued at over $500 million, with expectations for even more. The goal is to initially increase the terminal’s berth capacity to four six berths, add additional cranes and container handling equipment and break records for intermodal traffic. More than one billion dollars will be invested by 2030 to add at least another million TEUs of capacity. After that, the focus will shift to an even more ambitious, long-term project: developing a highly advanced operational, advanced area that will ensure further growth in capacity and cargo handling for the entire complex—a sort of second phase for PNCT.
This, in essence, is the American spirit. As we chat, Trump’s tariffs have already changed course three times. But this uncertainty doesn’t dampen the optimism—if anything, it strengthens it. Looking ahead to 2025 (barring any wild political swings), Pelliccio says it’s expected to be “stable or growing.” The numbers back that up: the first part of the year went very well. Things are moving along in these weeks, awaiting the anticipated rebound in volumes due to the 90-day pause in tariffs. But here on the Atlantic side of the U.S., things are less volatile than on the Pacific side.
“2024 was a very positive year for us,” says Chris Garbarino, Chief Operating Officer. “We recorded excellent volumes, reaching 1.7 million TEUs. In the first few months, we continued to grow. The 90-day tariff pause triggered a rush in shipments, and that helped us reach very high volumes.” The temporary trade truce isn’t seen as a concern but rather an opportunity. Tariffs aren’t a worry. And in that quintessentially American way, the bottom line is: “We’re relatively optimistic and prepared. Our customer traffic base and volume levels make us confident. And we’re preparing for what’s ahead,” explains Pelliccio. And so, the expansion plan moves forward.
On the large table in PNCT’s headquarters meeting room, right in the heart of the terminal, Pelliccio lays out a series of large, laminated photos and renderings. He explains the strategy that will take PNCT from just under 2 million TEUs to nearly 5 million TEU’s containers in about a decade: “To be precise, 4.7 million TEU’s” he says.
The first map is “PNCT’s site plan from 2024 to 2028,” the CEO explains. “In the last five years, we completed the first phase of development, with more than $550 million invested in the terminal. That strategy laid the groundwork for the next development phase, which will start in 2026.” Garbarino provides more detail: “The first part of this expansion plan, which targets 2028, involves developing our berth area to allow for a fourth berth. This development will let us handle and service four ships at the same time.”
The COO’s gaze shifts northward to show another key area: “These areas are behind the yard and will support the additional ship capacity. We also need land to store extra containers and better manage storage capacity. But that’s not all: the goal is to double our rail capacity so we can more effectively and sustainably reach the U.S. interior thanks to intermodal operations. This is the future—and it’s very close.”
That’s the other pillar of PNCT’s growth strategy: “We’re the only terminal in the Port of New York where we can still add rail capacity,” Pelliccio adds. “That’s why we’re also focusing on the new intermodal yard. It’s one of the development phases that Chris just described: once completed, we’ll have three kilometers of tracks, doubling this terminal’s rail capacity.”
Where are things today? And what’s the current rail capacity? “We’re at 250,000 containers, and we’ll increase that to 500,000 containers.”
This is in addition to the already constructed rail bridge which enabled more efficient intermodal operations at PNCT. New tracks and yard expansion are the keys to this phase of the plan. After that comes the envisioned and designed future—a phase that will still need at least “seven, maybe ten years” to be completed. Pelliccio is referring to the completion of “another phase of expansion that will increase berth line, rail capacity, and yard density. This is part of the Port Authority’s Master Plan and includes a reclamation area that will allow us to expand the terminal further to the Federal Channel.”
On the map, this area is marked in blue: it’s a section of shallow water that, in PNCT’s plans, will be filled in to create a new berth and more container space (see graphic on the page).
“This vision is a little further out,” the CEO continues, “but it aligns with our overall direction. There’s a lot of room for PNCT’s growth at Port Newark—it’s one of the few areas left with development potential in the Port of New York and New Jersey.”
So, within just two and a half years, the terminal will be completely transformed, adding new space for ships and cargo operations. Then, with the “blue plan”—which envisions developing the berth out toward the sea in line with the Port Authority’s master plan—the port of the future will also arrive.
