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Despite a significant slowdown in the second half of 2022, two major West Coast ports approached the record-setting pace they had in 2021.

As 2022 comes to a close, a significant shift is taking place at America’s ports. Until late summer, Los Angeles’ was the busiest in the nation, but that honor now belongs to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Supply chain obstacles are forcing U.S. retailers to rewire their shipping routes. The early winners are East and Gulf Coast ports.

The head of one of the largest U.S. gateways for trade said robust demand for imported goods likely will be sustained into 2022 as companies scramble to rebuild stockpiles during an uneven rebound from the pandemic.

With the sun gleaming off the Manhattan skyline in the distance, the massive ship passed slowly underneath the Bayonne Bridge on the morning of May 20, tooting its horn to the delight of about two dozen onlookers on the bridge deck hundreds of feet up.

The nation’s ports continued their breakneck pace in November as imported products arrived and unloaded at a record or near-record rate at facilities on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

The nation’s East Coast ports continued to be battered by lower imports from overseas in June because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of the nation’s ports continue to see growth in import and export activity, as retailers gear up for what is expected to be a strong fourth quarter and holiday shopping season.

WASHINGTON — Port authorities, trucking companies and shippers are hopeful that the infrastructure bill to be debated in Congress will fund solutions to alleviate congestion in the ocean container freight industry, panelists said Jan. 9 at the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting here.