APL redesign aims to triple Oakland marine terminal throughput

APL redesign aims to triple Oakland marine terminal throughput Ocean carrier APL celebrated the completion of a two-year reconstruction and reconfiguration program at its Oakland marine terminal Tuesday.
   The $68 million project, jointly funded by APL and the Port of Oakland, is expected to allow the nearly 80-acre terminal to triple its throughput without a physical expansion of the facility. The carrier predicts that the updates may allow the terminal to move up to 360,000 TEUs per year.
   A Tuesday evening ceremony celebrating the inauguration of the facility drew more than 500 APL employees, port staff and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums. It also saw the introduction of a new name for the terminal — the Global Gateway Central. In recognition of the event, Dellums declared Tuesday to be APL Day in Oakland.
   APL, a subsidiary of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines, removed unused buildings, incorporated vacant land into the operation, removed a three-foot grade separation dividing the facility and redesigned the terminal's layout in an effort to speed up cargo flow. The project was completed without APL having to close the terminal.
   'We've talked for years about the need to improve productivity at U.S. ports,' said John Bowe, APL president of the Americas. 'By completing this project we've significantly increased our cargo-handling capacity and we've done it without adding a single acre of space in Oakland. That's a dramatic productivity gain.'
   APL expects the added efficiency will allow additional service to be routed through Oakland, with a concomitant increase the terminal's 500-member workforce.
   APL is also introducing a series of air-quality initiatives at the facility, including the use of cleaner-burning low-sulfur diesel fuel on vessels in port, less-emissive container-handling equipment, and a new lighting system that cuts energy consumption by one-third. The carrier is also examining providing shore-to-ship electrical power at the terminal that will allow vessels at berth to shut down their auxiliary engines which normally provide maintenance power for ship operations.
   'The global economy is driving growth in containerized trade,' Bowe said. 'We're growing to meet the demand, but we're doing it in a way that respects the environment and the communities around us.'
   APL operates U.S. terminal in Los Angeles, Dutch Harbor, Oakland and Seattle.