The task force, made up of a group of shipping lines, marine terminal operators, cargo owners, harbour truckers and dockworkers at the port, has joined together to help put an end to vessel backlogs forcing some ships to temporarily anchor in San Francisco Bay, instead of berthing.
It wants to ensure that enough dockworkers, marine clerks and equipment are available to efficiently manage high volumes of containerised cargo and to extend hours and create an appointment system to help harbour truckers get cargo in and out of Oakland quickly.
Meanwhile, the port said it’s ready to act on efficiency priorities. “What we needed was the collaborative ideas of our stakeholders,” said executive director, Chris Lytle. “Now we’ve got them and we’re eager to get going.”
Port officials told the task force that a two-month old labour shortage is already being addressed in Oakland. About 150 dockworkers and 30 marine clerks are joining the workforce over the next two months.
Next on the port’s list of initiatives are extended terminal hours. A proposal for permanent Saturday operations is under review with the Federal Maritime Commission. The plan would lengthen the work-week to six days in Oakland, easing congestion during peak weekday periods.
Oakland is also finalising plans with equipment providers to ensure any chassis can be used by any trucker, creating a common pool of equipment by the autumn. The benefit to which will be that containers won’t be stranded while motor carriers await chassis.
