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Supply Chain Productivity: Oakland

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Oakland: New Saturday/Sunday Gates Ease Pressure from Cargo Buildup

New Saturday and Sunday gates are putting a dent in an extraordinary cargo buildup at the Port of Oakland. According to the port, more than 1,000 U.S. import containers have moved out of its marine terminals every weekend for the past month. This is cargo that would otherwise have moved on weekdays when terminals and harbor truckers strain to cope with soaring volume.

"The weekend moves are only a fraction of what we send out the gates Monday through Friday, so they're not the complete answer to our big buildup" said Port Maritime Director John Driscoll. "But every little bit helps while we're working to keep cargo flowing."

The port’s largest marine terminal operators have opened weekend gates since Thanksgiving in response to an unprecedented cargo surge, especially imports, resulting, according to the port, from increased U.S. trade with Asia, ship and cargo diversions caused by congestion at other ports, and an impasse in the eight-month-long quest for a new waterfront labor contract that has disrupted West Coast port operations.

The import surge is being felt in Oakland. Three to nine vessels anchor in San Francisco Bay every day awaiting berths. It sometimes takes truck drivers several hours to get through weekday terminal gates.

A series of measures has been introduced to manage the volume. Express lanes now expedite simple trucker transactions. Daily status updates advise cargo owners on peak periods for container pick-ups. Traffic-control officers manage lines that build up outside terminals.

The port describes the weekend openings are the most complex response to Oakland's cargo increase. Customs inspections must be arranged to clear cargo for pick-up. Extra cargo handlers are needed to load containers onto truck trailers. Clerks have to be hired as well to process imports before they're sent out the gates.
 
Terminal operators, private-sector firms working under leases from the Port of Oakland, are expected to continue moving containers on Saturdays and Sundays while demand persists. That, according to the port, could continue for another month as U.S. shippers import cargo before Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in Asia.
 

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