Port of Oakland Shares Vision for Future

New projects will bring more, jobs, growth….and perhaps first calls

Oakland, CA – April 9, 2015: New development projects at the Port of Oakland promise added jobs and economic growth here. They could also make Oakland a first port-of-call (vessels coming straight to Oakland from Asia) for international shipping lines, a Port official said today.

Maritime Business Development Manager Beth Frisher told Bay Area leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors that the Port is strengthening its role as a premier global logistics center. “As that happens, we’ll bring increased economic vitality to the entire Bay Area and Northern California,” she said at the Bay Planning Coalition’s 2015 Decision Makers Conference.

The key is a 360-acre trade and logistics center being built by the Port and City of Oakland on the former Oakland Army Base. It’s envisioned as a magnet to attract additional import and export cargo.

The Port of Oakland is currently constructing a railyard at the site to be followed by new transload warehouses. When completed, commodities shipped in bulk can be transferred to containers for export out of Oakland and imports can be transloaded into 53-foot domestic containers and then placed on rail cars for inland shipment.

Ms. Frisher said the new capabilities could convince shipping lines to make Oakland their first U.S. call. All the top container carriers have weekly services in Oakland now, but stop first in Southern California.

Two other projects in the planning stage are expected to generate more cargo growth, Ms. Frisher added. One is a cold-storage facility; the other is a grain transload operation. Both would permit bulk shipments of agricultural products such as beef and grain to be transferred from rail to containers for overseas delivery. “With these facilities and our Class 1 rail connections, we’re providing a direct link to the farm belt,” Ms. Frisher said.

Cargo growth at the Port should translate into increased jobs for Oakland. More than 73,000 jobs are already linked to the Port’s three businesses: the seaport, Oakland International Airport and commercial real estate holdings that include Jack London Square. It is estimated that every 1,000 additional containers moving through the Port creates eight more jobs.

Growing the Bay Area’s maritime and industrial economy sustainably is the focus of the annual Decision Makers Conference.

”As stewards of the Oakland waterfront and San Francisco Bay, we will continue to build our businesses responsibly and view everything we do through an environmental lens,” said Richard Sinkoff, the Port’s Director of Environmental Programs and Planning.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf opened the conference. Scheduled speakers included Congressional representatives Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and John Garamendi, D-Fairfield.

About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.