Oakland fast-tracks TraPac terminal expansion

Work on the project, expected to nearly double the size of the Wilmington, Calif.-based terminal operator’s facility at the Port of Oakland, could begin as early as this month, the Northern California port said in a statement.    The Port of Oakland is fast-tracking an expansion of TraPac LLC’s marine terminal, with work to begin as early as this month, the Northern California port said in a statement.
   TraPac announced plans for the project earlier this month at a meeting of Oakland’s Board of Port Commissioners. The project will nearly double the size of the Wilmington, Calif.-based terminal operator and stevedore’s facility at the Port of Oakland.
   The company signed a new 14-year lease with the port and plans to grow its facility there from 66 acres to 123 acres, adding two additional vessel berths to the existing two and allowing it to absorb additional cargo volumes.
   The board officially approved the proposed lease agreement and expansion project at a meeting Oct. 27.
   Construction on a new gate entrance for the facility could begin in November, with refurbishment of the remaining acreage adjacent to the existing TraPac terminal to begin soon after, the company told the Port of Oakland. TraPac estimates the entire project will take about 10 months to complete.
   “With this expansion, we’re making a long-term commitment to our customers and to the Port of Oakland,” TraPac Oakland General Manager Mike Porte said in a statement. “Now that the approval process has concluded, we’re eager to get on with the necessary improvements, and we’ll be doing so aggressively.”
   The current TraPac facility handles about 20 percent of containerized cargo volumes shipped through Oakland, according to port figures.
   According to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting’s Terminal Analysis report, six liner services frequent the TraPac terminal at the Port of Oakland. The tool also shows six carriers deploy capacity through the terminal, with MOL deploying the most at 135,767 TEUs from 19 vessels.
   The adjacent property into which the company is expanding was formerly occupied by Outer Harbor Terminal LLC, a joint venture between Ports America and Terminal Investment Ltd., the stevedoring affiliate of Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC). Outer Harbor Terminal ceased operations in March of this year after filing for protection under Chapter 11 of U.S. bankruptcy law.