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Cargo Operations: JAXPORT, San Francisco

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JAXPORT Begins Service as Volkswagen’s Southeastern U.S. Distribution Hub 

The Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT) began service as Volkswagen’s Southeastern U.S. distribution hub on April 29, when nearly 1,000 new Jettas, Beetles and Golfs rolled ashore at the port authority’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. Manufactured at a VW plant in Puebla, Mexico, the autos arrived from their loading port of Veracruz aboard the car carrier Chesapeake Highway and were subsequently processed by JAXPORT tenant AMPORTS before being transported to dealerships around the region.

Gov. Scott was on hand at AMPORTS in February to announce VW’s selection of Jacksonville as its distribution center in this region (Advisory, February 24, 2015). In making its selection, the company cited JAXPORT’s experience and reputation in the auto business as well as the port’s connections and proximity to consumers in the region.

JAXPORT is among the top U.S. vehicle-handling ports, with volume in FY 2013-14 totaling 605,170 units, including imports, exports and domestic transshipments. 

Auto carrier Chesapeake Highway discharging Volkswagens imported from Mexico at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. Photo/JAXPORT 


San Francisco’s Pier 80 Receives Cargo for PG&E’s Substation Upgrade Project

M/V BBC Coral docked at the Port of San Francisco’s Pier 80 Omni Terminal last week carrying the first two of three large spools of electrical cable and other equipment for upgrades to Pacific Gas &Electric’s (PG&E) electrical system in San Francisco.  

Work is underway to construct a 230-kilovolt power line and upgrade two PG&E substations to improve reliability and harden its system for natural disasters including earthquakes. Approximately 2.5 miles of new cable line will be installed beneath the floor of San Francisco Bay and connected to PG&E’s Embarcadero and Potrero Substations. 

"The new power line will provide an additional source of reliable electricity for San Francisco residents and businesses to meet growing demand and enhance readiness in the downtown area when a catastrophic emergency occurs. Every day we’re working to build a stronger and more resilient system for our customers," said Gregg Lemler, PG&E’s vice president of electric transmission operations. 

The two cable spools, along with the third one arriving by ship to Pier 80 in June 2015, will be loaded onto a cable laying barge. The cable will be pulled through submerged conduit and buried under the Bay, connecting the two substations. 

The Pier 80 terminal is operated by Metro Ports and specializes in break bulk and project cargo like the 700,000-pound cable spools and electrical machinery delivered to PG&E. The terminal is located one mile from the Potrero Substation at Illinois and 22nd Streets.

The cable and equipment were manufactured in Japan by J-Power Systems for Sumitomo Electric USA Inc., which supplied the product to PG&E. J-Power Systems and Sumitomo Electric have been planning the complex project for more than two years, coordinating the logistics through Schenker-Seino in Japan and Eastern Car Liner (ECL) Americas Inc. in the U.S. who chose Pier 80 Omni Terminal to stage the operation.

The weight and size of the cable spools complicated the project and required significant crane capacity and discharge direct to storage barges. The solution was to use BBC Chartering heavy lift vessels in combination with a storage barge contracted from The Dutra Group.  

The cable reels were discharged from M/V BBC Coral directly into the storage barge. A second BBC Chartering vessel arrives at Pier 80 in June and will remain on hire and serve as a floating crane to trans-load the heavy cargo from the storage barge to PG&E’s cable laying barge. This will occur three times at approximately ten-day intervals as PG&E lays the submarine cable in San Francisco Bay.

"We investigated various crane options as well as conducting the operations at other public and private port facilities" said Bill Christ, Executive Vice President of ECL Americas. "Ultimately we chose the use of the ocean vessels which enabled us to keep the project at the originally intended location of Pier 80. The cooperation of all the parties has been smooth, harmonious and professional."
 

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