By Karen Robes Meeks
At his annual State of the Port address, the head of the Port of Oakland declared 2018 to be the year of record highs for cargo volume.
“This is our time,” port Executive Director Chris Lytle told the 300 people in attendance for the speech in Oakland’s Jack London Square. “We’ve spent much of this decade working with business partners to build out the cargo delivery platform our customers want and in 2018 we’re putting it to work.”
Lytle spoke about the port’s investments that will foster this record growth, which include raising four ship-to-shore cranes to accommodate megaships; opening Cool Port Oakland, a 283,000-square-foot refrigerated cargo distribution facility; and expanding TraPac marine terminal.
According to Lytle, the port plans to unveil a new five-year strategic plan in 2018 that would balance business growth with community needs. “As the port progresses, we want our neighbors to benefit as well,” he said.
