Feb.5--OAKLAND port executive director Chris Lytle is making the pitch that his San Francisco Bay harbour should be the first port of call on the west coast for transpacific ships.

　　"The port has been approached by three carriers, raising the possibility of Oakland becoming the first US Pacific Coast port of call," he told the American Journal of Transportation.

　　"This means ships would stop in Oakland before they sail to Los Angeles and Long Beach. Currently there are 28 vessel services and all of them call at the Southern California ports before sailing to Oakland."

　　Mr Lytle also said the growing concentration of warehouses and distribution centres plus new manufacturing "are creating an increase of in demand for just-in-time deliveries in Northern California as well as import demand from warehouses in Northern California and Nevada."

　　In his recent State of the Port address to an audience of 300, sponsored by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and Women in Logistics, he said the port had set a cargo volume records in 2017 at 2.42 million TEU.

　　With new capabilities coming on line, he said, the port is forecasting new volume records annually through 2022.

　　Two new projects are Cool Port, which is expected to ship 30,000 containers a year and a new Seaport Logistics Complex, scheduled to open in 2019. This complex will further boost volume and rail shipments.

(Source:shippingazette)