APL marks terminal expansion

APL marks terminal expansion APL Tuesday marked completion of a two-year reconstruction of its Oakland, Calif., marine terminal that doubles cargo-handling capacity without expanding the facilities footprint.
   The project has also improved terminal operating efficiency, the company said, permitting future cargo volume growth in Oakland while minimizing environmental consequences.
   The expansion was marked at a ceremony Tuesday night at which the terminal was renamed Global Gateway Central. APL and the Port of Oakland jointly funded the $68 million renovation, the outgrowth of a long-term lease extension signed by the carrier in 2006.
   By adding capacity, APL said additional shipping services can be routed into Oakland, which would result in additional jobs. APL employs 500 people in Oakland.
   John Bowe, APL’s president of the Americas, said the renovation would improve efficiency, allowing truckers to get in and out of the facility faster. That will reduce standby time and cut diesel emissions from idling big rigs.
   A series of other air-quality improvement initiatives have been introduced at the Oakland terminal. They include the use of cleaner-burning low-sulfur diesel fuel on vessels in port, modernized container-handling equipment that generates fewer emissions and a new lighting system that reduces energy consumption by one-third.
   The terminal is also studying “cold-ironing” — allowing ships to switch off diesel-burning auxiliary engines when in port and use electrical power generated onshore.