The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) announced that its entire membership will celebrate Western Hemisphere Ports Day on April 5. The association will recognize the industry’s role in job creation and economic prosperity, and its commitment to education, training, and environmental stewardship initiatives on behalf of the communities they serve across the Americas.

“Ports Day is part of an ongoing commitment to highlight to policymakers and the public about the vital role ports play in moving the goods we depend on and linking us to the global economy,” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO. “Seaports of the Western Hemisphere are job creators and deliver prosperity around the globe.”

According to IHS World Trade Service, combined international sea trade moving through Western Hemisphere ports in 2014 totaled 3.48 billion metric tons in volume and $3.75 trillion in value. Of that total, ports in Central and South America handled 1.68 billion metric tons of cargo valued at $1.36 trillion, while North American ports handled 1.79 billion metric tons of goods, valued at $2.39 trillion.

However, the economic worth of all cargo in terms of jobs and business activity is much greater than its market value. According to Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the total economic value of port activity in the U.S. alone in 2014 was $4.6 trillion.