Port of Oakland reports that exports are robust while new advances for inbound boxes are being made

ThePort of Oaklandrecently made two significant announcements having an impact on U.S. West Coast shippers' plans for Peak Season.

The first bit of news notes that containerized export volume at the Port of Oakland increased in the first half of 2019 thanks to China’s neighbors.

端口数据显示double-digit export volume percentage increases through June 30 to South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Trade with those three nations alone offset a 17 percent drop in exports to China, the port said.

Exports to China have dropped by the equivalent of 14,000 20-foot cargo containers this year, the Port said. China is Oakland’s largest trading partner. On the other hand, shipments to South Korea are up 10,000; Japan 7,000; and Taiwan, 3,000.

The trade numbers indicate that Oakland exporters are countering the effects of Chinese tariffs imposed on U.S. shipments. The result: Oakland exports have increased year-over-year in each of the past four months. For all of 2019, export shipments are up 2.4 percent over the first six months of last year.

“This is testament to the resilience and ingenuity of our customers,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “They’re finding the means to overcome debilitating trade barriers.”

Scrap paper exports to Asia have declined 34 percent in 2019, the Port said. That’s due mainly to tighter Chinese restrictions on waste product shipments. The big 2019 gainers among Oaklandexport commodities: agricultural products including almonds, meat, oranges and hay.

In a subsequent development came news that a program that accelerates Port of Oakland cargo flow has a new lease on life…literally. Port Commissioners last week approved a firm’s 13-year lease to continue moving loaded import containers off Oakland docks.

The agreement keeps Shippers Transport Express on 32 acres at the Port’s Seaport Logistics Complex through 2032. The firm transports loaded containers from Oakland’s largest marine terminal to a less-crowded pick-up point nearby. The Port said the service is essential in speeding import cargo to final destinations domestically.

“Shippers Transport Express hauls 400 loaded import containers off the terminal every night,” pointed out Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. "That frees up space at the terminal for additional cargo and makes it easy to collect those containers for delivery.”

The firm transports import containers away from a terminal where 25 ships a week load and unload cargo. It parks the boxes on chassis one mile distant so truckers can pick them up quickly day or night. The benefits include:

A 15-minute-or-less transaction time to collect cargo at Shippers Transport Express instead of approximately 75 minutes at the terminal;
Less crowding at the terminal to cut down its transaction times; and faster delivery of import containers to waiting cargo owners.

Import relocations are part of Oakland’s strategy to hasten cargo flow, the Port said. Other elements include night gates for truckers to ease daytime crowding and appointment systems for cargo pick-up. The strategy has cut significantly into truck driver transaction times that once extended beyond two hours, the port said.

The port said rent for the Shippers Transport Express property would average $4 million annually. The port would spend $7 million paving the land for container parking.