Port of Oakland
Port Commerce

The Port of Oakland is governed by a Board of Port Commissioners appointed by the City Council after nomination by the Mayor. The Port of Oakland is a major part of the regional economy, employing over 450 people and generating about 50 thousand jobs across the area. The Port of Oakland includes a seaport for containerized cargo, an airport, and a range of commercial, retail, and recreational facilities and open spaces. Receiving no tax revenues from the city, the Port of Oakland finances its operations and creates millions in tax revenues for the State of California and the City of Oakland.

Established in 1927, the Port of Oakland is located on San Francisco Bay. The Port of Oakland was one of the first ports in the world to focus on intermodal container operations. Covering almost 490 hectares, Port of Oakland facilities include marine terminals, maritime support areas, and intermodal rail facilities. The Port of Oakland has 20 deep-water berths equipped with 35 container cranes and a network of local roads that link it to warehouses, rail yards, and interstate freeways. The Port of Oakland has ten container terminals and two intermodal rail yards at the Oakland waterfront. At the heart of the marine terminal area are facilities operated by the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railways. Its local road network links to Interstate Highways 80, 880, 580, and 980.

The Port of Oakland handles almost all of the containerized goods traveling through Northern California, and it is the fourth busiest port for containerized cargo in the United States. Together, the three major container ports in California account for about half of all waterborne container traffic in the United States.

Asia accounts for over half of the international trade in the Port of Oakland, and Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the islands of the South Pacific account for significant cargo traffic. Over 17 percent of the trade handled in the Port of Oakland is domestic and military cargo.

Based on the total $26.6 billion (US) in imported goods, the Port of Oakland's single most important trading partner in 2011 was China (over $13 billion). The second and third biggest trading partners for imported cargoes were Japan ($2 billion) and Taiwan ($1.2 billion). Other important Port of Oakland trading partners for imports in 2011 were Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Germany, France, and Malaysia.

The Port of Oakland exported about $14.5 billion (US) in 2011, including cargoes destined for Japan (almost $3.3 billion), China (over $2.4 billion), South Korea (more than $1.2 billion), and Taiwan ($1.0 billion). Exports through the Port of Oakland in 2011 were also bound for Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, and Singapore.

In 2011, the Port of Oakland served 2121 cargo vessels and handled over 2.3 million TEUs of containerized cargo, including 1.8 million loaded containers. The Port of Oakland handled almost 994 thousand outbound loaded containers and more than 797 thousand inbound loaded containers in 2011.

The Port of Oakland has 315 hectares of container terminals and 18 deep-water berths that are equipped with 36 container gantry cranes, including 30 post-Panamax cranes. The main cargoes imported through the Port of Oakland include consumer goods like beverages, furniture, apparel, sports equipment, toys, coffee, tea, and spices. Other major imports are machinery, plastic, medical instruments, iron and steel products, and textiles. The main exports leaving the Port of Oakland include foods dominated by fruits, nuts, meat, fish, and beverages. Other major exports include machinery and vehicles, inorganic chemicals and rare earth materials, metal scrap, woodpulp and paper, organic chemicals and chemical products, grains and cereals, plastic, cotton, fabrics, and yarn.

  • Container terminals

Serving the Port of Oakland Outer Harbor waterway, the Ben E. Nutter Terminal in the Port of Oakland covers 23.5 hectares and contains Berths 35, 37, and 38 with alongside depth of 15.2 meters (50 feet). Operated by Seaside Transportation Services, this Port of Oakland container terminal has 310 reefer outlets and is equipped with three modified A-frame cranes and one modified A-frame crane with articulated boom. Berths 35 and 37 have berthing distance of 668 meters (2257 feet) as well as a 28.5-meter (94 foot) dolphin. Berth 38 has berthing distance of 263 meters (862 feet).

Occupying over 26 hectares, the Port of Oakland's Outer Harbor Container Terminal includes Berths 32, 33, and 34 which ship and receive containers and heavy-lift general cargo. Berth 34 is used to ship and receive roll-on/roll-off cargoes. With alongside depth of 15.2 meters (50 feet), this Port of Oakland container terminal has total berthing distance of 1761 meters (5777 feet). The terminal contains 386 reefer outlets for refrigerated cargoes. Surface rail tracks at Berths 32 and 33 serve a container freight station and connect with the Oakland Terminal Railway and the Union Pacific and BNSF Railways.

Covering more than 20 hectares, the Charles P. Howard Terminal in the Port of Oakland is operated by Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) Terminals, Inc. The terminal serves the Port of Oakland's Inner Harbor Channel waterway and handles containerized, conventional, and roll-on/roll-off cargoes that include manufactured equipment, machinery, and other products. With alongside depth of 12.8 meters (42 feet), Berths 67 and 68 at the Port of Oakland's Charles P. Howard Terminal have total berthing distance of 593.1 meters (1946 feet) with a 21.3-meter (70-foot) dolphin. The terminal is equipped with three modified A-frame cranes with articulated boom, one low-profile crane, and 204 reefer outlets for refrigerated containers. A surface rail track behind the apron links the terminal with the Port of Oakland Terminal Railway.

The Global Gateway Central Terminal in the Port of Oakland is operated by Eagle Marine Services and contains Berths 60, 61, 62, and 63. Serving the Inner Harbor Channel waterway, the terminal is directly south of the Union Pacific Railroad intermodal container transfer yard on Middle Harbor Road. This Port of Oakland terminal is dedicated to containerized cargo. Covering over 32 hectares, the terminal contains 257 reefer outlets and is equipped with four modified A-frame cranes. The Port of Oakland's Global Gateway Central Terminal has total berthing distance of 836 meters (2743 feet) with alongside depth of 12.8 meters (42 feet).

SSA Terminals operates the Port of Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT) located in the Inner Harbor at the site of the former Naval Supply Center. Serving about 60 vessels per month, the OICT serves about 17 shipping lines traveling from Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, and Central America. The OICT handles containerized cargo and some non-containerized cargo like yachts, oversize, and heavy-lift cargoes (to 100 long tons).

With alongside depth of 15.2 meters (50 feet), Berths 57, 58, and 59 in the Port of Oakland's OICT have total berthing distance of almost 1091 meters (3600 feet) equipped with six post-Panamax cranes. The terminal has 898 reefer outlets. Covering over 60 hectares, this terminal is located directly south of the Port of Oakland's Joint Intermodal Transfer Facility that handles near-dock train operations, and it is just one mile from Interstates 80 and 880 and two miles from Interstate 580.

The Ports America Outer Harbor Terminal covers more than 82 hectares and handles containerized general cargo. Berths 22 through 26 at this Port of Oakland terminal have total berthing distance of 1250 meters (4100 feet) with alongside depth of 15.2 meters (50 feet). Ports America also operates Berths 20 and 21 dedicated to handling containerized general cargo. This Port of Oakland facility has berthing distance of 413 meters (1335 feet) with alongside depth of 12.8 meters (42 feet). The Outer Harbor Terminal has total annual capacity for about 487 thousand TEUs and has 1200 reefer plugs. The terminal is equipped with seven 50-ton post-Panamax gantry cranes, 25 top handlers, 75 tractors, and 75 bobcats.

The Port of Oakland's Total Terminals International is home to Berths 55 and 56. Covering over 58 hectares, the terminal is adjacent to the Port of Oakland's Joint Intermodal Terminal container transfer yard operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. With alongside depth of 15.2 meters (50 feet), the terminal has total berthing distance of 731.5 meters (2400 feet) equipped with four modified A-frame cranes and 332 reefer outlets. Yard storage capacity at Total Terminals International in the Port of Oakland is 23,107 TEUs.

The TraPac Terminal in the Port of Oakland is located on the Outer Harbor Channel at Berths 30 through 32. This Port of Oakland is located conveniently near the major freeways in the Bay Area, the region's railroads, and the Joint Intermodal Terminal. The Port of Oakland's TraPac Terminal contains a 1.2 thousand square meter (13 thousand square foot) administration building, a 464.5 square meter (five thousand square foot) marine operations building, and an over 1.3 thousand square meter (14.5 thousand square foot) maintenance and repair building. The maintenance building has six fully-equipped repair bays, a parts department, a two-bay roadability station, and an adjacent six-bay wash-out station.

With alongside depth of 15.2 meters (50 feet), the TraPac Terminal in the Port of Oakland has total berthing distance of 662 meters (2172 feet), and it is equipped with 388 reefer outlets. The terminal is equipped with four post-Panamax gantry cranes, six tophandlers, three sidehandlers, three rubber-tyred gantry cranes, two 15-ton forklifts, three 3-ton forklifts, 37 yard hustlers, 18 yard chassis, and 37 yard and maintenance support vehicles. Covering 26.6 hectares, the TraPac Terminal is served by a surface track that connects with the Port of Oakland Terminal Railway and the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads.

The TransBay Container Terminal Company operates the Port of Oakland's Outer Harbor Container Terminal, Berths 25 and 26, to ship and receive containerized general cargo. The terminal has berthing distance of 347 meters (1138 feet) with alongside depth of 12.8 meters (42 feet). Covering over 16 hectares, the terminal has 288 reefer outlets and is served by a surface track at the rear Berth 25 that connects with the Port of Oakland Terminal Railway and the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads.

  • Bulk and breakbulk terminals

The Port of Oakland's Burma Road Terminal, Berth 7, is located in the Outer Harbor waterway and ships and receives breakbulk general cargo that includes roll-on/roll-off cargoes, heavy-lift items, and steel products. Operated by the Marine Terminals Corporation, this Port of Oakland terminal has berthing distance of 445 meters (1459 feet) with alongside depth of 10.7 meters (35 feet). Occupying almost 12 hectares, the Burma Road Terminal in the Port of Oakland is served by one surface track at the rear of its transit shed that connects with the Oakland Terminal Railway and the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads.

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