After an absence of several years, the Port of San Francisco recently welcomed two vessels transporting thousands of tons of imported rolled newsprint to its Pier 80 Omni-terminal.
The MV Thorseggen, a specially built newsprint carrier, arrived on Sunday, March 31 with 1600 metric tons of newsprint. Owned by Norsk Pacific Steamship Company, Ltd., a Washington Company, the MV Thorseggen transports newsprint and specialty paper products from the Norske Skog Canada paper mills at Crofton and Elk Falls down the coast to San Francisco, Long Beach and San Diego.

On Thursday, April 4th, the M/S Star Herdla operated by Star Shipping of Bergen, Norway arrived at Pier 80 discharging 1300 metric tons of newsprint from Korea. Star’s Open Hatch Gantry Crane vessels are tailor-made for carriage of woodpulp, paper, other forestry and unitized products, and containers.

All the newsprint discharged at Pier 80 will be delivered to Cal Cargo’s warehouse in Hayward, where it will then be inventoried and distributed to local newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle and the Alameda News Group, who use this newsprint to print their newspapers.
The Alameda News Group was the first to introduce Korean newsprint to the West Coast. Cal Cargo is the premier warehouse with distribution throughout the Bay Area handling primarily newsprint and forest products. Cal Cargo started as a San Francisco company in 1979 and has grown through innovative warehousing techniques, emphasizing customer service, on-time delivery and the ability to change with the times.

“Through the hard work of the Port of San Francisco and the support of Marine Terminals Corp., we have been able to bring back break bulk cargo to the Port of San Francisco,” said Ross Smiley, President of Cal Cargo. He further stated that “the newsprint operations at Pier 80 are setting the standard for all future Bay Area operations.”

These two shipments represent the result of a major marketing initiative of the Port and Marine Terminals Corporation, the company who operates Pier 80 to attract break bulk cargo such as newsprint, steel and autos to supplement the current container cargo. This diversification was a result of market opportunities and the recommendations of a maritime cargo commercial opportunity study recently completed by the Port and the Maritime Commerce Advisory Committee, a group of maritime companies and labor representatives that advise the Port on maritime activities.

“Pier 80 represents the most diverse terminal on the West Coast. At Pier 80, we can work break bulk cargoes such as steel, paper and lumber as well as containers. And we have access to on-dock warehouse space, staging area for project cargo as well as 4 deep-water berths and 4 gantry cranes. “The newsprint needs to be discharged to a covered storage area and the Port offers a 224,000 sq. ft. clear span warehouse right next to the berth,” said Jim Dillman, Pier 80 Terminal Manager. “Pier 80 offers the perfect combination for this type of cargo,” he added.

In addition to Norsk Pacific and Star Shipping, other lines calling at the Port’s cargo terminals include, CCNI, Columbus Line – South American Service and the South Seas Service, Polynesia Lines, Maruba s.c.a., TMM Lines and CSL Lines.

“This is further proof that the Port’s marketing strategy of offering economy, superior facilities and excellent customer service to break bulk and small container vessels is working,” said Port Maritime Director Peter Dailey. “We’re building business by emphasizing our strengths and working with our customers to ensure that their needs are met,” he said.

Pier 80 is managed by Marine Terminals Corporation, a San Francisco based company founded in 1931 and one of the West Coast’s oldest family-owned contract stevedore and terminal operating companies.