Port of Oakland and APL officials and staff celebrated the inaugural visit of the new container ship APL Oakland to its namesake port with a ceremony and luncheon on July 12, following the vessel’s arrival the previous day.
The new container ship APL Oakland made its inaugural visit to its namesake Port of Oakland on July 11. Photo courtesy of the Port of Oakland.
By Patrick Burnson
Published: August, 2010
Indeed, port authorities were quick to thank APL for remaining faithful. “In many ways, APL has helped put Oakland on the global map, and with the highest volume count of any carrier at the port, helped us become the third-busiest container port on the U.S. West Coast, the fifth-busiest in the United States, and among the top 50 in the world,” said Omar Benjamin, the port’s executive director.
Benjamin added, “That is why we are honored and delighted that APL chose to name one of its vessels in its global fleet after our global city, Oakland.”
APL’s history here goes back to the Gold Rush; more than 160 years ago its predecessor company, Pacific Mail, helped connect the U.S. East Coast with the new West, long before the Pony Express or trans-continental Railroad. It was a historic accomplishment when, several years later in 1867, APL inaugurated trans-Pacific trade with regular service to Yokohama, Japan and Hong Kong.
APL has been consistently recognized by shippers for outstanding service, as evidenced by being named “Carrier of the Year” two years running by the Agriculture Transportation Coalition. Oakland has long been a premier export seaport for agricultural goods due to its proximity to California’s bountiful Central Valley and the wine country.
S.F. Gives Assist to Gulf Cleanup Effort
The Port of San Francisco has played a major role in responding to the BP oil spill in the Gulf by supplying 5,000 feet of containment boom to cleanup crews. Containment booms are widely considered the most environmentally acceptable response technique to clean up oil spills in the United States.
“We understand the threat of oil spills to our waters and coastline all too well in the Bay Area, and this is something we can do right now to aid in the response to this growing environmental and economic catastrophe,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom in May.
The port was coordinating closely with the Federal Unified Command for immediate transport of the containment boom to the Gulf of Mexico. The port, in consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard and other local agencies, determined that San Francisco would still have enough remaining oil spill boom to respond if needed in a local emergency.
Furthermore, the port only had to wait a few weeks for another boom to be restored to its inventory.
“We are glad to help out as we can,” said Port Executive Director Monique Moyer. “Unfortunately, in recent years San Francisco Bay has experienced oil and fuel spills and the port and city are well-prepared to be able to help. We know how critical a boom is to protecting precious areas of our bays, gulfs and waterways”
Seamen’s Church Institute Takes Over Management of International Maritime Center
The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), headquartered in New York City, assumed management of the International Maritime Center (IMC) in Oakland last month.
As the largest and most comprehensive mariners’ service organization in North America, SCI connects face-to-face with nearly 85,000 mariners each year. With centers already in Port Newark, NJ; Paducah, KY; and Houston, TX, and several hospitality centers in Manhattan and Brooklyn, NY, SCI has added the IMC to its locations, dubbing it SCI–Bay Area.
SCI–Bay Area, based in the Port of Oakland at the International Maritime Center, serves commercial ports in Oakland, San Francisco, Richmond, Redwood City, Antioch, Crockett, Martinez, Pittsburg and Selby. These commercial ports in total moved approximately 30 million tons of cargo in 2008.
As part of the Seamen’s Church Institute, SCI–Bay Area is a non-profit, ecumenical entity collaborating with many denominations. In the commercial ports served by SCI–Bay Area, this partnership includes local Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches.
According to spokesmen, “Our mission is supported by financial contributions from grants (faith-based and secular); and donations from individuals, churches, and the maritime industry. SCI–Bay Area provides assistance to seafarers, port workers, and truckers regardless of religion, race or nationality.”
