For Immediate Release
April 29, 2003

Port of Oakland Posts 18% Increase for First Quarter
(Boost in shiping business attributed to new services)

OAKLAND, Calif, (April 29, 2003) - Shipping terminals at the Port of Oakland handled the equivalent of 439,287 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first quarter of 2003, an increase of 18% overall compared to the first quarter of 2002.

For the quarter, loaded cargo was up 15.3% to 322,216 TEUs with import loads continuing to post strong gains, up over 19% to 130,439 TEUs. Exports marked a recovery from 2002, increasing 12.8% for the quarter to 191,777 TEUs. Empties also increased 26.2% to 117,071 TEUs. This growth is fueled by the continued shift in manufacturing to China and the completion of the Port’s Vision 2000 program, which added new capacity to the Port in 2002.

“With the opening of our new marine terminal and near-dock intermodal facility, carriers are now capitalizing on the increased capacity and a shorter sailing time from Asia to California to establish new and enhanced services for local and intermodal cargoes” said Jerry Bridges, Director of Maritime. “Lloyd Triestino, which is part of the Evergreen family, initiated a new first port of call service from China to Oakland in mid-2002 and recently several other carriers like China Shipping Container Lines have initiated or are considering new deployments calling Oakland," added Bridges.

The Port of Oakland is the fourth busiest containerport in the United States located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay. In 2002, the Port handled 1.7 million TEUs, a 3.9% increase over the prior year.

Contact:
Marilyn Sandifur
Media and Public Relations Manager
(510) 627-1193
msandifur@portoakland.com

The Port & You | Maritime | Airport | Real Estate | Newsroom
Job Center | Doing Business | Community | Environment | Contact Us