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Port of Oakland expects box volumes to hit record highs through 2022

CONSTRUCTION projects underway at the US port of Oakland are expected to draw additional containerised cargo traffic from the beginning of next year, and the port anticipates it will see all-time high cargo volumes annually through 2022.

New facilities at the port and equipment upgrades could also make Oakland a first port of call for containerships visiting the US from Asia, port of Oakland maritime director John Driscoll told an audience of supply chain officials that meets three times a year to review the port's operating performance.

"I'm forecasting growth because of the development that's going on here," Mr Driscoll was quoted as saying in a report by Ameican Shipper. "It won't be dramatic - it will be steady - but it will result in more cargo volume than we've ever had before."

Three international shipping lines are currently considering Oakland for first calls due to port improvements, Mr Driscoll said. If any of the shipping lines go ahead with the move, Oakland import volumes could rise since the first port of call is where ships discharge most US imports.

The projects underway at the port include the raising of four ship-to-shore cranes by 27 feet at the Oakland International Container Terminal to better load and unload megaships. Work on the second of four cranes is scheduled to finish by year-end, while completion of the entire US$14 million to $20 million project is expected in mid-2018.

Mr Driscoll said Cool Port Oakland, a project that is expected to process beef and poultry exports in a 280,000-square-foot temperature-controlled facility when it opens in the third quarter of 2018 has caught the attention of shippers.

Also in the pipeline is the Seaport Logistics Complex, a $52 million, 440,000-square-foot distribution centre designed for the rapid transfer of cargo between ships, trucks and trains. Construction is slated to commence in late 2018.