Ports America to expand in Oakland

Ports America to expand in Oakland    Ports America has reached an agreement to take over operation of the adjacent TransBay Container Terminal in Oakland later this year.
   TransBay is operated by International Transportation Service, 'K' Line’s terminal subsidiary.
   Peter Stone, chief commercial officer at Ports America, said the port earlier this week approved a plan for the 50-acre TransBay facility at berths 25-26 to be combined with the existing Ports America terminal at berths 20-24 to create a 204-acre facility. Ports America will take over TransBay’s lease, which runs until June 2013 and has options for extension.
   The TransBay terminal was seen as too small for the growing size of container ships, said Stone, and now the fence separating the two facilities will be taken down and the entire complex in the Outer Bay area of the Port of Oakland will be run as a single terminal.
   While one of the services at TransBay is expected to move to Hanjin’s Total Terminals International terminal, Stone said three of the four other services are expected to remain at the combined terminal where Ports America handles Horizon Lines service to Hawaii and the Horizon-Maersk service from China. Those services include:
   ' A CKYH service calling Asia.
   ' A service by Hamburg Sud, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, CMA CGM to Australia/New Zealand and South Pacific Islands.
   ' A Hamburg-Sud-Polynesia Lines service to the South Sea Islands in the Pacific.
   ' A Hamburg Sud service to South America.