Kill Van Kull - Definition and Overview

The Kill Van Kull is a tidal strait approximately 3 miles long and 1000 feet wide separating Staten Island and Bayonne, New Jersey, USA. The name kill comes from an old Dutch word for "water channel"

It connects Newark Bay with Upper New York Bay. Historically it has been one of the most important channels in commerce throughout the region, providing a passage for marine traffic between Manhattan and the industrial towns of New Jersey.

It currently provides the principal access for ocean-going container ships to Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the busiest port facility in the eastern United States and the principal marine terminal for New York Harbor.

The strait is spanned by the Bayonne Bridge.