Port of Oakland statistics adding up to huge year

Port of Oakland statistics adding up to huge year    The Port of Oakland's cargo volumes are projected to jump 8.4 percent for 2005, according to statistics provided by the port to American Shipper Wednesday.
   The port expects to handle 2.21 million TEUs this year, up from last year's record 2.04 million TEUs, maritime director Wilson Lacy said.
   If the projections are correct, the port's volume will have improved 30.6 percent since 2002. Oakland, the nation's fourth-busiest port, has added nearly 300 acres of terminal space and 19 post-Panamax and super post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes in that time. It expects to further expand capacity by dredging channels to 50 feet by 2007 to handle post-Panamax ships. A planned expansion of a BNSF near-dock intermodal yard are in preliminary stages, port spokeswoman Marilyn Sandifur said.
   This summer, the port also secured its seventh first-port-of-call service from Asia, with MOL America adding Oakland as it first call on its Pacific Southwest service.
   Sandifur said the port's import and export balance has shifted from a significant reliance on agricultural exports to a near 50-50 split between imports and exports.