John McLaurin, president of the Oakland-based Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, is making a holiday appeal to the working waterfront community to think of the neediest this season.
By Patrick Burnson
Published: December, 2015
John McLaurin, president of the Oakland-based Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, is making a holiday appeal to the working waterfront community to think of the neediest this season. He notes in his newsletter that many seafarers will spend this month at sea or at distant ports of call thousands of miles from their families.
“Working on board ships is a solitary and lonely life,” he said. “Seafarers spend months away from their home and loved ones, often in very dangerous conditions. It is a profession that is taken for granted by consumers all over the world, but one that is critical for our economy.”
These seafarers often need assistance and support. That is why the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, the Port of Oakland and other members of the Bay Area maritime community came together recently to raise funds for the Seamen’s Church Institute at the International Maritime Center.
Seafarer centers are located at various ports around the world, including Oakland, and provide much needed assistance—ranging from transportation in the local area to purchase personal items all the way to counseling for personal problems half a world away. Most of these services are provided by volunteers working on a shoestring budget.
A recent industry luncheon event included a keynote address from Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland, who expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the women and men who work onboard ships. “The mayor’s support for the International Maritime Center and its volunteers was a wonderful acknowledgement of the hard work performed by individuals who are largely invisible to the general public,” said McLauren.
To help explain the impact of this work, the Port of Oakland, a major supporter of the seafarer center, produced a video detailing the efforts of the center and the people they serve. The video, available on portofoakland.com, is a tribute to the hard work of those on board ships and of a dedicated group of people who provide much needed help in a very quiet and unassuming way.
Readers who wish to support seafarers may visit www.seamenschurch.org or www.seafarerscenter.org.
Port of Oakland to Develop Logistics Complex
Logistics leadership at the Port of Oakland also continues to keep up a torrid pace to position the gateway as a cargo distribution hub. Talks have begun to develop the next phase of a 170-acre Seaport Logistics Complex, with commissioners giving the go-ahead in November.
According to port spokespeople, the commission authorized exclusive negotiations between the port and industrial real estate developer CenterPoint Properties. If a deal is made, this would create the largest logistics complex at any West Coast U.S. port.
“It’s intended to make the port a magnet to attract additional containerized cargo volume,” said Maritime Director John Driscoll, the port’s lead negotiator.
The timing could not be better, noted some analysts, as containerized import volume at Oakland declined last month for the first time since February. October import totals were down 3.3 percent compared to 2014, and may portend weaker numbers in the coming months.
Oakland has long been a leading West Coast gateway for outbound goods, but has been working on becoming a more attractive inbound player in future years.
In subsequent phases of development, the port plans to construct a regional distribution center and warehouses at the complex. The port and developer were given six months to reach agreement on building a portion of the complex.
The new project would encompass 20 acres of port property. It would include transload and cross-dock facilities where importers could swiftly transfer containerized cargo from ships to trains. CenterPoint, a major developer of transportation-related real estate projects, would build and lease the facilities to tenants involved in international logistics.
The 20-acre facility will be built on land acquired by the Port at a decommissioned army base. It will be adjacent to phase one of the Seaport Logistics Complex, a 13-track rail yard that is nearing completion.
Patrick Burnson is the past president and current board member of the Pacific Transportation Association, based in San Francisco. www.pacifictrans.org
