Posts Tagged “Port of Oakland”
Export volume at the Port of Oakland, CA hit a three-year high in October as the facility shipped the equivalent of 89,473 20-foot containers.
The total was the highest since October 2013 and the fourth-highest in the port’s history, according to a news release. Agricultural commodities account for 40 percent of the port’s total export volume so far this year. In 2015 agricultural commodities accounted for 38 percent of the total.
Those numbers come from Datamyne, a source of trade intelligence that uses U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, according to Mike Zampa, communications director for Port of Oakland. Exports of fruits and vegetables from California’s Central, Napa and Salinas valleys go through the port.
Year-to-date exports from the Port of Oakland are up 10 percent over 2015. Contributing factors to the increase include “a softer U.S. dollar and healthy agricultural harvests,” according to the release.
“Increased export volume is nothing new; we’ve reported gains in nine of the first 10 months of the year,” Port of Oakland maritime director John Driscoll said in the release, “but the amount of volume growth highlights just how strong this rally is.”
Port History
According Wikipiedia, originally, the estuary, 500 feet (150 m) wide, had a depth of two feet at mean low tide. In 1852, the year of Oakland‘s incorporation as a town by the California State Legislature, large shipping wharves were constructed along the Oakland Estuary, which was dredged to create a viable shipping channel. 22 years later, in 1874, the previously dredged shipping channel was deepened to make Oakland a deep water port.
In the late 19th century, the Southern Pacific was granted exclusive rights to the port, a decision the city soon came to regret. In January 1906, a small work party in the employ of the Western Pacific Railroad, which had just begun construction, hastily threw a crossing over the SP line to connect the WP mainline with trackage built on an area of landfill. This act, protested by the SP and later held up in court, broke the railroad’s grip on the port area. The courts ruled that all landfill since the date of the agreement did not belong to the SP. This ruling ended SP control and made the modern Port of Oakland possible.
(Port of Oakland photo by: Robert Campbell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Imported produce is relatively light, but is increasing as we advance further into fall. Full tilt will come during the winter months and continue until the North American spring starts coming into view. The vast majority of arrivals will be by boat at various U.S. ports.
Among the heaviest volumes right now are Mexican limes and lemons, crossing the border primarily through South Texas. Both are increasing in volume with limes averaging about 500 truck loads weekly, and lemons about half this amount. Mexican blueberries also are very light, but will be increasing in volume crossing the border in both Texas and Nogales. There’s also light volume of Peruvian blueberries coming by boat.
There is increasing arrivals of South African Valencia oranges at U.S. ports. Mexican Valencias will be very light until mid October through South Texas….Chile is a major supplier of winter fruit to the U.S., but that will mostly be after the first of the year. However, nearly 400 truck load equivalents of Chilean tangerines are currently arriving weekly…..Mexican avocados through Texas would normally be heavier now, but there is a strike underway by Mexican growers.
Port of Oakland
TraPac LLC plans to lease an additional 57 acres and two vessel berths nearly double its marine terminal size on the Outer Harbor at the Port of Oakland.
TraPac is the second-largest terminal operator in Oakland and a proposed 14-year lease agreement with the port will become final if approved at an October 27 board meeting.
“This is a significant step forward for TraPac and the port,” port maritime director John Driscoll said in a news release. “TraPac gets room to expand its thriving business and the port gets to revitalize valuable property with a highly respected tenant.”
TraPac, based in Wilmington, CA, handles 20 percent of the containerized cargo moving through the Port of Oakland. Under the new agreement, it would have four berths and 123 acres. Much of the land would be used for cargo handling.
TraPac began Oakland operations in 1991 and also manages other terminals in Los Angeles and Jacksonville, FL
The company plans to construct a new gate to give harbor truckers better access to the terminal.