Terminal Gates to Be Open Longer at Port of Oakland

OAKLAND, CA - Port of Oakland commissioners have authorized spending $1.5 million to keep terminal gates open on nights and weekends to compensate for the pending closure of one of the port’s five terminals. Port commissioners approved the spending plan, called the “Transition Assistance Program,” at their meeting on Thursday night.

The plan comes in the wake of the recent announcement by Outer Harbor Terminals LLC, formerly known as Ports America Outer Harbor LLC, that it has filed for bankruptcy and will leave the Port of Oakland. The terminal is expected to stop vessel operations on March 31, according to the port. Port officials said the idea behind the spending plan is to increase access hours for harbor truck drivers at terminals beginning on Saturday.

They said the added hours are central to plans for redistributing cargo when the Outer Harbor terminal closes, John Driscoll, the port’s maritime director, said in a statement, “Extending terminal gate hours is an important way to improve cargo flow through the port. It’s also crucial as we make the transition from five to four active terminals.”

The port says it will redirect ships and cargo from the Outer Harbor Terminal to adjacent terminals and the extended hours should get truckers through terminal gates faster and help the terminals absorb added volume. Port officials said night and weekend gates will also help harbor truckers by allowing them to avoid peak weekday hours at terminals for certain transactions.

The program will provide funding to eligible terminal operators for up to 12 weeks. The port says it will reimburse terminal operators for up to half of the cost of operating terminal gates for extended hours but will cap the reimbursement at $10,000 for each gate shift.

Truckers and the cargo owners they drive for won’t be charged for the extended hours, according to the port. Normally, most terminals at the Port of Oakland open their gates to truck drivers between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays and weekends are usually restricted to vessel and container yard operations.

--Bay City News; Port of Oakland image via WikiMedia Commons