By Karen Robes Meeks
SSA’s Oakland International Container Terminal anticipates a 96 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emission from its $6 million conversion to hybrid yard cranes, the Port of Oakland said Tuesday.
“This is way better than we thought it would be,” said Ken Larson, crane manager for Seattle-based SSA Terminals. “So far, this is a very successful project.”
The marine terminal, which moves 61 percent of cargo coming through Oakland, is converting 13 rubber-tired gantry cranes from diesel to battery-powered hybrid engines. Since March, three of the 90-foot-tall cranes have been upgraded and are now back in service, resulting in a big drop in the use of fuel. The others will be retrofitted by next June.
“The old engines burned 10 to 12 gallons of diesel an hour; the new ones… about a half-gallon per hour,” explained Larson. “That’s the nuts and bolts of air emission savings right there and we’re astonished by the results.”
Showing posts with label Oakland International Container Terminal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oakland International Container Terminal. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Friday, March 29, 2019
Oakland Terminal Moving to Hybrid Yard Cranes
By Karen Robes Meeks
The largest marine terminal at the Port of Oakland is transforming 13 diesel-powered yard cranes to hybrid power, a move that is anticipated to lower diesel-related air pollutants by 45 tons annually.
Oakland International Container Terminal, which introduced its first hybrid crane earlier this month, expects the retrofitted fleet will come online by 2020.
Each retrofitted crane will feature batteries and new, smaller diesel backup engines.
“This is the Prius of cargo-handling equipment,” said Port of Oakland Environmental Planner Catherine Mukai. “We’re gratified that our partners at the terminal are taking this step to help clear the air.”
Last summer, terminal operator SSA Terminals secured a $5 million grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for the hybrid project and is spending an additional $1 million to reconfigure its cranes.
“We depend heavily on this equipment to keep cargo flowing smoothly,” said Jim Rice, General Manager at Oakland International Container Terminal. “We’re pleased to find a solution that makes us more efficient and at the same time benefits the environment.”
The largest marine terminal at the Port of Oakland is transforming 13 diesel-powered yard cranes to hybrid power, a move that is anticipated to lower diesel-related air pollutants by 45 tons annually.
Oakland International Container Terminal, which introduced its first hybrid crane earlier this month, expects the retrofitted fleet will come online by 2020.
Each retrofitted crane will feature batteries and new, smaller diesel backup engines.
“This is the Prius of cargo-handling equipment,” said Port of Oakland Environmental Planner Catherine Mukai. “We’re gratified that our partners at the terminal are taking this step to help clear the air.”
Last summer, terminal operator SSA Terminals secured a $5 million grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for the hybrid project and is spending an additional $1 million to reconfigure its cranes.
“We depend heavily on this equipment to keep cargo flowing smoothly,” said Jim Rice, General Manager at Oakland International Container Terminal. “We’re pleased to find a solution that makes us more efficient and at the same time benefits the environment.”
Friday, April 6, 2018
Oakland’s Night Gates Pay Off
By Karen Robes Meeks
Thanks to the introduction of a new strategy, the Port of Oakland is seeing more truck visits at night now than at any other time in its nearly 100-year history.
Two years ago, Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT) was the first to open a second shift to ease heavy daytime operations. Truck transaction times went from waits of up to three hours to an average of 60 to 90 minutes, and night gates now account for about 30 percent of its daily volume, according to OICT.
“We’ve spread out the truck traffic and improved the drivers’ turn times,” said Jim Rice, general manager at Oakland International Container Terminal. “Night gates have allowed us to operate nine shifts a week with a domino effect: there’s less traffic and congestion and it’s easier for cargo owners to pick up their shipments.”
Meanwhile, TraPac marine terminal has been testing night gates.
“Night operations have transformed the Port,” said Executive Director Chris Lytle. “No more 8 to 5 work days… we’re too busy for that.”
Thanks to the introduction of a new strategy, the Port of Oakland is seeing more truck visits at night now than at any other time in its nearly 100-year history.
Two years ago, Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT) was the first to open a second shift to ease heavy daytime operations. Truck transaction times went from waits of up to three hours to an average of 60 to 90 minutes, and night gates now account for about 30 percent of its daily volume, according to OICT.
“We’ve spread out the truck traffic and improved the drivers’ turn times,” said Jim Rice, general manager at Oakland International Container Terminal. “Night gates have allowed us to operate nine shifts a week with a domino effect: there’s less traffic and congestion and it’s easier for cargo owners to pick up their shipments.”
Meanwhile, TraPac marine terminal has been testing night gates.
“Night operations have transformed the Port,” said Executive Director Chris Lytle. “No more 8 to 5 work days… we’re too busy for that.”
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Record Volumes Predicted at Oakland
By Karen Robes Meeks
Improved infrastructure coupled with new supply chain capabilities should result in record cargo volume at the Port of Oakland. It could also make Oakland a first port of call for container ships visiting the US from Asia. That’s the message a senior Port official gave supply chain executives this week.
Port of Oakland’s Maritime Director John Driscoll recently forecasted that the port will see record-level annual cargo volume through 2022.
This prediction is based on the various projects currently under construction that would draw more containerized cargo to Oakland starting early next year.
Those projects include raising four ship-to-shore cranes 27 feet higher at Oakland International Container Terminal; the anticipated August opening of Cool Port Oakland, a refrigeration plant that can annually process some 27,000 20-foot containers full of meat; and Seaport Logistics Complex, a 440,000-square-foot distribution center for transloading.
“I’m forecasting growth because of the development that’s going on here,” Driscoll told about 50 trade and transportation leaders who meet three times a year to review Oakland’s operating performance.
“It won’t be dramatic – it will be steady – but it will result in more cargo volume than we’ve ever had before,” Driscoll said.
He added that three international shipping lines are considering first calls to Oakland because of the port’s recent improvements.
“The ocean carriers are looking favorably at Oakland,” he said. “It’s a major discussion between them and their import customers.”
Improved infrastructure coupled with new supply chain capabilities should result in record cargo volume at the Port of Oakland. It could also make Oakland a first port of call for container ships visiting the US from Asia. That’s the message a senior Port official gave supply chain executives this week.
Port of Oakland’s Maritime Director John Driscoll recently forecasted that the port will see record-level annual cargo volume through 2022.
This prediction is based on the various projects currently under construction that would draw more containerized cargo to Oakland starting early next year.
Those projects include raising four ship-to-shore cranes 27 feet higher at Oakland International Container Terminal; the anticipated August opening of Cool Port Oakland, a refrigeration plant that can annually process some 27,000 20-foot containers full of meat; and Seaport Logistics Complex, a 440,000-square-foot distribution center for transloading.
“I’m forecasting growth because of the development that’s going on here,” Driscoll told about 50 trade and transportation leaders who meet three times a year to review Oakland’s operating performance.
“It won’t be dramatic – it will be steady – but it will result in more cargo volume than we’ve ever had before,” Driscoll said.
He added that three international shipping lines are considering first calls to Oakland because of the port’s recent improvements.
“The ocean carriers are looking favorably at Oakland,” he said. “It’s a major discussion between them and their import customers.”
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Oakland Container Terminal Lauded By Trucking Industry
By Mark Edward Nero
California’s trucking industry has honored a Port of Oakland marine terminal for taking steps to help ease the state’s containerized cargo crunch.
During an event last week, Oakland International Container Terminal received the first-ever Terminal Recognition Award for opening its gates at night.
The California and Harbor trucking associations presented the honor at a conference in Long Beach. The organizations also recognized Long Beach Container Terminal and Yusen Terminals of Los Angeles.
The associations said they presented the awards to recognize improvements in seaport efficiency. “The Oakland program was an example of a win-win situation between marine terminal operators and truckers,” said Peter Schneider, Chair of the California Trucking Association’s Northern California Intermodal Conference.
Oakland International Container Terminal is the largest of four marine terminals in Oakland; it processes about 70 percent of the port’s cargo volume. The terminal opened night gates to truckers beginning last summer to try easing daytime crowding. It was the first terminal in the harbor to extend operations beyond traditional 8-to-5 hours.
According to port data, the change has reduced average transaction times by 40 percent.
“We’ve fundamentally changed the way we do business in Oakland,” the port’s maritime director, John Driscoll, said. “Partners like Oakland International Container Terminal are key to the transformation and we’re pleased that they’re being recognized for their leadership.”
California’s trucking industry has honored a Port of Oakland marine terminal for taking steps to help ease the state’s containerized cargo crunch.
During an event last week, Oakland International Container Terminal received the first-ever Terminal Recognition Award for opening its gates at night.
The California and Harbor trucking associations presented the honor at a conference in Long Beach. The organizations also recognized Long Beach Container Terminal and Yusen Terminals of Los Angeles.
The associations said they presented the awards to recognize improvements in seaport efficiency. “The Oakland program was an example of a win-win situation between marine terminal operators and truckers,” said Peter Schneider, Chair of the California Trucking Association’s Northern California Intermodal Conference.
Oakland International Container Terminal is the largest of four marine terminals in Oakland; it processes about 70 percent of the port’s cargo volume. The terminal opened night gates to truckers beginning last summer to try easing daytime crowding. It was the first terminal in the harbor to extend operations beyond traditional 8-to-5 hours.
According to port data, the change has reduced average transaction times by 40 percent.
“We’ve fundamentally changed the way we do business in Oakland,” the port’s maritime director, John Driscoll, said. “Partners like Oakland International Container Terminal are key to the transformation and we’re pleased that they’re being recognized for their leadership.”
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Oakland Port Raising Cranes 27 Feet
By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Oakland said Feb. 24 that as many as six 366-foot-tall cranes will soon be raised 27 feet higher. The $14 million-to-$21 million project is expected to begin this spring at its largest marine terminal, with the objective being to make it easier to load and unload megaships with containers stacked high above deck.
“By raising the height of ship-to-shore cranes, we make certain that we’re ready as more megaships head our way,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said.
The governing Board of Port Commissioners approved the crane plan at a Feb. 23 meeting. It calls for installing longer legs on four-to-six cranes at Oakland International Container Terminal, which handles 70 percent of Oakland’s cargo.
The Port of Oakland has said it will pay to raise the cranes and that the terminal operator, SSA, is expected to repay the port over the life of its Oakland lease.
“We need bigger cranes to work the larger and more heavily laden ships calling Oakland,” SSA President Ed DeNike said. “It’s part of SSA’s long-term commitment to Oakland.”
Container cranes are raised by having a massive jack lift the entire structure off the terminal deck, and then portions of the original crane legs are cut away. Next, new leg extensions are placed under the crane and fastened into place.
The terminal said it hopes to begin work on the cranes in April. Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2018, depending on how many cranes are raised. That number will also determine the project’s total cost.
The port said it would take about nine weeks to raise each crane.
Jacking equipment is already en route to Oakland, the port said. Up to 40 tractor-trailers are expected to be used to transport the equipment. Steel leg extensions are being fabricated in China where the cranes were manufactured.
The Port of Oakland said Feb. 24 that as many as six 366-foot-tall cranes will soon be raised 27 feet higher. The $14 million-to-$21 million project is expected to begin this spring at its largest marine terminal, with the objective being to make it easier to load and unload megaships with containers stacked high above deck.
“By raising the height of ship-to-shore cranes, we make certain that we’re ready as more megaships head our way,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said.
The governing Board of Port Commissioners approved the crane plan at a Feb. 23 meeting. It calls for installing longer legs on four-to-six cranes at Oakland International Container Terminal, which handles 70 percent of Oakland’s cargo.
The Port of Oakland has said it will pay to raise the cranes and that the terminal operator, SSA, is expected to repay the port over the life of its Oakland lease.
“We need bigger cranes to work the larger and more heavily laden ships calling Oakland,” SSA President Ed DeNike said. “It’s part of SSA’s long-term commitment to Oakland.”
Container cranes are raised by having a massive jack lift the entire structure off the terminal deck, and then portions of the original crane legs are cut away. Next, new leg extensions are placed under the crane and fastened into place.
The terminal said it hopes to begin work on the cranes in April. Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2018, depending on how many cranes are raised. That number will also determine the project’s total cost.
The port said it would take about nine weeks to raise each crane.
Jacking equipment is already en route to Oakland, the port said. Up to 40 tractor-trailers are expected to be used to transport the equipment. Steel leg extensions are being fabricated in China where the cranes were manufactured.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Asian Shipping Route Adds Oakland Port
By Mark Edward Nero
A transpacific shipping route that links Asia and the US is adding weekly Port of Oakland stops, starting in November. Oakland is becoming the sixth stop in the service operated by three Asian shipping lines, the port revealed Sept. 13.
Seven ships from the three ocean carriers are deployed on the service, with each having the capacity to carry between 8,000 and 9,000 twenty-foot containers. The vessels will make weekly calls at the port’s Oakland International Container Terminal starting Nov. 6.
The service, known as the Calco-C, connects ports in Vietnam, China and California. It’s expected to bring an additional 50 vessel arrivals to Oakland annually and that, according to the port, could increase its cargo volume by as much as 30,000 20-foot-containers a year.
The port handled the equivalent of 2.28 million 20-foot containers last year.
“We’re pleased to be joining this service,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said. “It’s testament to the vibrant market we serve, and strengthens our role as a key gateway in the transpacific container trade.”
The port said the service gives shippers more opportunity to import finished Asian goods, such as apparel and consumer electronics, and that exporters can gain new routes to Asia for commodities, such as California agricultural products.
Other ports in the Calco-C service include Cai Mep in Vietnam; Xiamen, Yantian and Nansha in China; and the Port of Long Beach. The service is operated by Tokyo-based “K” Line; Wan Hai Lines of Taiwan; and Singapore’s Pacific International Lines.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Oakland Makes Night Gates Permanent
By Mark Edward Nero
After a successful trial run, the Port of Oakland’s busiest marine terminal says that night gate hours are here to stay.
Oakland International Container Terminal announced June 6 that it will continue night operations even after a port subsidy expires this month. What’s more, OICT said it would offer full – not partial – operations at night.
The decision means that thousands of harbor truckers can continue moving Oakland cargo outside busier daytime hours. The terminal plans to open night gates to harbor drivers Monday through Thursday.
With full operations, they’ll be able to drive off loaded import containers at night for the first time. Import pick-ups, the most time-consuming and labor-intensive terminal activity, had been restricted to dayside operations.
Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said that thousands of cargo transactions have migrated to nighttime thanks to Oakland International Container Terminal.
“It’s imperative that we continue with extended hours to expand the workday and improve cargo flow,” Driscoll said.
OICT introduced night gates two months ago, aided by a $1.5 million Port of Oakland subsidy program. Once the subsidy ends, the terminal says, it will weigh a $30 flat-fee on all loaded import and export containers.
The fee would finance the costs of night operations – principally for additional labor, the terminal said, with the amount remaining constant regardless of container size. It will be levied on both day and night container moves.
The terminal has promised to review the night-gate program – including fees – after 90 days.
“No one likes fees,” Driscoll said. “But we think there’s tremendous value in easing daytime crowding and in offering full service at night when drivers can get in and out of port quickly.”
Expanded night operations could lead motor carriers to eliminate surcharges assessed for waiting at terminals, according to the port. Those fees are levied on cargo owners but could become outmoded if night gates continue to speed up operations.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Oakland Terminal Making Appointments Mandatory
By Mark Edward Nero
Oakland International Container Terminal announced May 27 that beginning June 6, it is making appointments mandatory for most containerized import pick-ups, meaning harbor truckers usually won’t be able to drive loaded boxes off without a reservation.
The terminal said its goal is to shorten lines at terminal gates while speeding up cargo delivery to customers. “We applaud this move,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said. “This is the largest marine terminal in Oakland and they’re taking all possible steps to improve trade flow.”
The terminal said it will require appointments for drivers picking up containers from import delivery lanes, which are rows of containers discharged from ships and stacked to await collection. The boxes are lifted from stacks and loaded on trucks by rubber-tired gantry cranes. The process is the most time consuming at ocean shipping terminals.
Mandatory import reservations will be an extension of the terminal’s existing appointment system, OICT said. Appointments to enter terminal gates are already available.
OICT said appointments will eliminate long lines of drivers waiting for imports on a first-come, first-serve basis. The terminal handles 67 percent of the containerized cargo shipped through Oakland. It releases about 1,000 import loads daily.
The terminal said it won’t require appointments for other transactions such as empty container return. Appointments also won’t be required for three unique types of import pick-ups:
• Peel-offs, which enable drivers to take the first container from a stack of imports all intended for the same customer;
• Dray-offs, which are imports transported to a nearby facility and available for pick-up around the clock, and;
• Pre-mounted loads, which are import containers affixed to chassis and ready for immediate hauling over the road.
Appointments are the most recent effort to improve cargo flow at the Port of Oakland. Two months ago, OICT began operating night and Saturday gates, and since then has added staff, purchased additional cargo-handling equipment and opened a new yard exclusively for empty containers.
Oakland International Container Terminal announced May 27 that beginning June 6, it is making appointments mandatory for most containerized import pick-ups, meaning harbor truckers usually won’t be able to drive loaded boxes off without a reservation.
The terminal said its goal is to shorten lines at terminal gates while speeding up cargo delivery to customers. “We applaud this move,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said. “This is the largest marine terminal in Oakland and they’re taking all possible steps to improve trade flow.”
The terminal said it will require appointments for drivers picking up containers from import delivery lanes, which are rows of containers discharged from ships and stacked to await collection. The boxes are lifted from stacks and loaded on trucks by rubber-tired gantry cranes. The process is the most time consuming at ocean shipping terminals.
Mandatory import reservations will be an extension of the terminal’s existing appointment system, OICT said. Appointments to enter terminal gates are already available.
OICT said appointments will eliminate long lines of drivers waiting for imports on a first-come, first-serve basis. The terminal handles 67 percent of the containerized cargo shipped through Oakland. It releases about 1,000 import loads daily.
The terminal said it won’t require appointments for other transactions such as empty container return. Appointments also won’t be required for three unique types of import pick-ups:
• Peel-offs, which enable drivers to take the first container from a stack of imports all intended for the same customer;
• Dray-offs, which are imports transported to a nearby facility and available for pick-up around the clock, and;
• Pre-mounted loads, which are import containers affixed to chassis and ready for immediate hauling over the road.
Appointments are the most recent effort to improve cargo flow at the Port of Oakland. Two months ago, OICT began operating night and Saturday gates, and since then has added staff, purchased additional cargo-handling equipment and opened a new yard exclusively for empty containers.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Oakland Extends Trial Night, Weekend Program
By Mark Edward Nero
A $1.5 million subsidy program to stimulate night and weekend business at the Port of Oakland has been extended another 60 days.
Port commissioners voted last week to continue through June 30 a fund that partially subsidizes extended gate hours. The fund had been scheduled to expire the first week of May.
Oakland International Container Terminal, which handles 67 percent of Oakland’s cargo, said May 3 that it would tap into the fund immediately in order to further expand weeknight operations.
The time extension comes as the port says it’s abandoning a traditional 8 am to 5 pm operating model.
“The old way doesn’t work any longer,” port Executive Director Chris Lytle said. “There’s too much business; we have to stay open longer to get cargo in and out of Oakland.”
Oakland International Container Terminal has operated nights and Saturdays for two months to ease pressure on busy weekday cargo operations.
It now intends to conduct additional nighttime transactions from 6 pm to 3 am Tuesdays through Thursdays during a four week trial. The new transactions include accepting containerized export loads and receiving and releasing empty containers. The expanded transaction trial begins May 10.
Other nighttime transactions already in place include refrigerated container handling; containerized import pick-up by customers using an express service known as the one-stop, free-flow program; and import pick-up for containers loaded on chassis for immediate drayage.
Extra gate hours are intended to give harbor truckers more time to pick up and deliver containerized cargo. Until recently, they had only been allowed through terminal gates on weekdays. By working nights or Saturdays, drivers can avoid lines that sometime build up on the dayside during weekdays.
Oakland International Container Terminal said it is conducting up to 600 transactions every night and 1,200 on Saturdays. Those numbers are expected to grow as more business migrates from weekday operations.
“We’re counting on harbor drivers to take advantage of these added nighttime features,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said. “This is what cargo owners have been asking for.”
A $1.5 million subsidy program to stimulate night and weekend business at the Port of Oakland has been extended another 60 days.
Port commissioners voted last week to continue through June 30 a fund that partially subsidizes extended gate hours. The fund had been scheduled to expire the first week of May.
Oakland International Container Terminal, which handles 67 percent of Oakland’s cargo, said May 3 that it would tap into the fund immediately in order to further expand weeknight operations.
The time extension comes as the port says it’s abandoning a traditional 8 am to 5 pm operating model.
“The old way doesn’t work any longer,” port Executive Director Chris Lytle said. “There’s too much business; we have to stay open longer to get cargo in and out of Oakland.”
Oakland International Container Terminal has operated nights and Saturdays for two months to ease pressure on busy weekday cargo operations.
It now intends to conduct additional nighttime transactions from 6 pm to 3 am Tuesdays through Thursdays during a four week trial. The new transactions include accepting containerized export loads and receiving and releasing empty containers. The expanded transaction trial begins May 10.
Other nighttime transactions already in place include refrigerated container handling; containerized import pick-up by customers using an express service known as the one-stop, free-flow program; and import pick-up for containers loaded on chassis for immediate drayage.
Extra gate hours are intended to give harbor truckers more time to pick up and deliver containerized cargo. Until recently, they had only been allowed through terminal gates on weekdays. By working nights or Saturdays, drivers can avoid lines that sometime build up on the dayside during weekdays.
Oakland International Container Terminal said it is conducting up to 600 transactions every night and 1,200 on Saturdays. Those numbers are expected to grow as more business migrates from weekday operations.
“We’re counting on harbor drivers to take advantage of these added nighttime features,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said. “This is what cargo owners have been asking for.”
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Labor Dispute Halts Oakland Terminal Operations
By Mark Edward Nero
One of the five marine terminals at the Port of Oakland had its operations suspended March 28 after a dispute regarding the time that workers represented by the International Longshore & Warehouse Union begin their workday.
Last week, SSA Marine, which operates the Oakland International Container Terminal, unilaterally instituted a 6:45 am start time for day shift workers, which was 15 minutes earlier than the previous time of 7 am.
When workers refused to show for work at the new time on March 28, the union says, SSA fired more than two dozen workers and temporarily closed the terminal.
“The company refused to honor the start time in our contract,” Craig Merrilees, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, told the San Francisco Chronicle March 28 regarding the situation.
According to Merrilees, an arbitrator was summoned in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
In the meantime, however, truck traffic was backed up at the terminal, with dozens of drivers queued up outside, waiting to pick up and drop off containers at OICT, which is Oakland’s largest terminal.
When fully operational, OICT handles about 74 vessel calls each month and provides stevedoring services for 20 shipping lines serving Asia, Europe and Central America.
As of the afternoon of March 28, Oakland’s other four terminals were operating normally, although one of them, the Outer Harbor Terminal, is closing at the end of the month due to operator Ports America pulling out of the area. Ports America filed for bankruptcy Feb. 1.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Oakland Port Testing Night, Weekend Hours
By Mark Edward Nero
Despite a plan by the Port of Oakland to open all gates for night and Saturday hours not yet being approved by the Federal Maritime Commission, one port terminal has already moved forward with a trial version of the program at one of its terminals.
Oakland International Container Terminal, the port’s largest facility, said it is testing increased hours of operations for specific transactions. So far, extended gate transactions have included empty container returns and pick-ups and loaded container export drop-offs.
Specialized import pick-ups known as ‘one stop free-flow delivery’ have also been part of the trial program.
The trial basis program, an experiment to accelerate containerized trade flow, precedes a port-wide plan for Saturday operations that was announced last August and that the port expects to put in place in the first quarter of 2016.
“This is a service for all customers and drayage companies that can utilize the transactions,” Oakland International Container Terminal General Manager Jim Rice said. “We know this may not fit everyone’s business needs, but it has a positive impact on the overall flow of transactions during the day. We will continue to operate night and weekend gates if the demand is there.”
Under the off-hours program – which began the first week of November – drivers receive weekly broadcasts from the terminal advising them of the dates and times for the extended gates. Transaction types may vary depending on the demand.
The Port of Oakland says it has among the highest concentrations of truck transactions-per-gate at any West Coast port, including those in Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The marine terminals are working on a collaborative plan to open permanent Saturday gates for all transactions in 2016. Under the program, which has been dubbed “OakPass” and is modeled after the PierPass program at the Los Angeles-Long Beach ports complex, Oakland terminal operators would charge container fees during peak hours.
The plan’s currently under review by the Federal Maritime Commission.
