The Californian port Oakland will get a 60[ds_preview]0 mill. $ boost from public and private sources for an upgrade of the container business.
Maritime Director John Driscoll announced that the U.S. West Coast port would increase trade volume by investing in new facilities and better infrastructure. The objective: more containerized cargo.
»We’re building for growth in a shipping industry that is becoming more and more competitive,« Mr. Driscoll said at an American Association of Port Authorities conference. Driscoll said the Port would team with private developers and public agencies to modernize the Port’s infrastructure. He said investment from all three sources would be used to create new logistics capabilities in Oakland. It will also help eliminate bottlenecks that inhibit cargo flow, he said.
Among the proposed investments are
- $244 million, mostly from government grants, to separate railroad tracks from major Port roadways
- A $90 million, privately built refrigerated warehouse called Cool Port to increase chilled beef and pork exports
- A $50 million expansion, also privately financed, of the Port’s second-largest marine terminal.
According to the Director, the port has just completed a $100 million railyard near marine terminals and a proposed logistics complex. The proximity of the new developments should be a drawing card for shippers, he said. It will enable cargo to be quickly shifted between rail, road and ocean transport. That’s critical for time-sensitive international shipments.
Driscoll explained, construction on Cool Port could begin next month. Terminal expansion is already underway. The truck-rail grade separation still awaits government funding.
Five container terminals and two intermodal rail facilities serve the Oakland waterfront. All shipping channels and 90% of berths at the Port are dredged to -50 feet, capable of accommodating vessels up to 13,000 TEU capacity. In 2016, the port handled 2.37 mill. TEU in total, representing a 4% increase compared to 2015.
According to official statements, the port of Oakland loads and discharges more than 99 % of the containerized goods moving through Northern California, the nation‘s fourth largest metropolitan area. The cargo volume makes it the fifth busiest container port in the United States. About 75.82 % of Oakland‘s trade is with Asia. Europe accounts for 13.52 %, Australia/New Zealand and Oceania about 5.25 % and other foreign economies about 5.38 %. About 0.2 % of Oakland‘s trade is domestic (Hawaii and Guam) and military cargo.
