[ Oakland’s Hanjin con’t Terminal Presided Ceremony ]

Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Board of Port Commissioners President John
Loh, and J.J. Jeon representing Hanjin Shipping Co.Ltd. presided over a
formal groundbreaking ceremony inaugurating the U.S.West Coast’s newest
container terminal on November 2nd, 1999. Foppowing a signing ceremony
held in Seoul on October 19th, the groundbreaking signaled the beginning
of the Port of Oakland’s aggressive Vision 2000 construction program,
over $700 million in transprotation improvements over the next five
years.
The 120 acre Hanjin Terminal will be Oakland’s largest facility and will
have a through-put capacity of over 450,000TEUs a year. “Today is the
beginning of the new millenium in Oakland.”, stated President Loh. “We
are beginning here today a new era of operational speed and sfficiency
tempered by concern for the environment and the improvement of the
quality of human life.”
Located in Oakland’s Middle Harbor, the new Hanjin Terminal will take
about fourteen months to construct and is scheduled to open in January
2001. It will have two berths totaling 2,400 feet, and be served by four
super-Panamax class container cranes currently under construction in
Shanghai China by Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC). Intermodal
access to both the Joint Intermodal Terminal and the Union Pacific
Railroad will be less than one mile from the new facility.
Intermodal improvements were also highlighted at the event which was
attended by both railroads serving northern California. The Union Pacific
Railroad is currently engaged in $50 million of improvements to their
Oakland facility with Phase 1 constructions already completed. Phase 2
development is scheduled to be completed in the Spring of 2000 and will
increase intermodal through-put capacity to 250,000 units per year.
Active loading track will accommodate up to 74 double-stack train(DST)
cars and storage track will hold up to 146 DST cars.
Construction of Oakland’s Joint Intermodal Terminal(JIT) will begin in
December with completion in early 2001. Phase 1 capacity at the JIT is
over 220,000 units per year, including active working track capacity for
up to 28 DST cars. Completion of the two rail yards will increase Oaklan
d’s intermodal capacity to nearly 500,000 units per year.
In addition to enhanced terminal capacity and intermodal improvements,
Oakland has achidved significant progress in dredging. Currently offering
ocean carriers a minimum of -42 feet(12.8meters), plans for deepening the
channels and berths to -50feet(15.25meters) are well advanced.
“The combined elements of the Vision 2000 programs, new terminal
construction, enhanced intermodal connection, and deeper water ensure
Oakland will remain both a strong competitor and a premier gateway for
intermational containerized cargoes well into the next century” stated
Chuck Foster, the Port’s Executive Director. “We are visioning,
designing, and constructing the future, while ensuring continued economic
prosperity for the region and improving the lifestyles of the residents
of Oakland and northern California.”