Port of Oakland’s Wan urges stakeholders to lobby for port improvements

Port of Oakland Executive Director, Danny Wan, told maritime stakeholders that if they want improvements in the operations and upgrades in the infrastructure at the Port of Oakland, they must rekindle the energy and spirit that they exhibited in opposing the Oakland A’s ballpark and condominium project.

In comments made at a Port of Oakland Strategies meeting hosted by the Propeller Club of Northern California on April 2nd, Wan said, “I need that high energy that I saw during that ballpark debate to come out.”

Wan said a major issue that the Port has been trying to win at the Oakland City Council is support for a truck corridor accessing the Port of Oakland so as to improve truck flows. He urged maritime stakeholders to “Show the City Council the need for the truck corridor. We have not been able to get the City Council to move on the truck corridor. They are concerned that if you put a truck corridor next to a neighborhood, that the neighbors will complain. And the neighbors do complain. And we don’t have anybody speaking for this truck corridor except for me, and Bryan (Brandes, the Port Maritime Director) and the Harbor Commissioners. That’s not enough. We are not necessarily their voters. We need you to come out and say to the City Council: ‘Where is that truck corridor? Or else, something is going to happen to the economy of this City.’”

O-MAST Priorities

In March 2024, the Oakland Maritime, Access, Sustainability, and Trade (O-MAST) coalition – a partnership of maritime, transportation, logistics, labor, and community stakeholders was organized to support the long-term viability of the Port of Oakland. Many of the participants were veterans of the successful opposition that defeated Oakland A’s attempt to build a ballpark and condominiums at the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal.

O-MAST surveyed Port of Oakland maritime stakeholders to “understand priorities around port development, infrastructure and policy” and presented the findings at a luncheon hosted by the Propeller Club of Northern California at Scotts Seafood, Oakland, California.

The survey was conducted by the public relations firm BergDavis.

The O-MAST ‘Executive Summary’ is entitled “Advancing the Industrial Waterfront.” The results of the survey of stakeholders identified the following priorities:

Industrial Lands

• Minimizing/prohibiting residential development adjacent to industrial lands and freight corridors
• Maintaining the buffer zone/uses between downtown and the waterfront.
  
• Repairing and maintaining access to overweight corridors
  
• Preserving or increasing jobs in the maritime industry
  

Commercial Options for Howard Terminal

• Zero-emission transition
• EV charging, offshore wind, and hydrogen hub
  
• Parking and cargo staging
  
• Breakbulk operations
  
• Ro/Ro operations
  

Infrastructure

• Turning Basin expansion
• Terminal electric and hydrogen infrastructure
  
• Charging and alternative fueling
  
• Adeline Bridge replacement
  

Funding Allocation for Infrastructure

• Adeline Street corridor
• 3rd Street truck corridor
  
• On-dock rail project
  
• Road congestion and improvement
  

PMSA’s New President Mike Jacob

In discussing the survey results, Mike Jacob, the new President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) noted that in the responses to the survey, “there were not many surprises in the priorities and broad support among all stakeholders.”

Jacob noted the top priority was to expand the Oakland Estuary Turning Basin to support larger container ship operations at the Oakland International Container Terminal operated by Stevedoring Services of America.

Jacob also noted the importance of trucking issues including terminal charging for electric trucks, the Adeline Bridge replacement, an important truck access and departure point that needs replacement as well as the Third Street corridor.

Jacob noted there is still the question of “where are you going to focus your infrastructure dollars?”

On-dock rail was another priority cited in the survey but several maritime stakeholders at the meeting worried that there was insufficient space for installation.

Jacob noted that an important issue is what use should be made of Howard Terminal now that the Oakland A’s ballpark has been rejected and he noted that the Port of Oakland will be soliciting proposals later in 2024.

Port of Oakland Response

Bryan Brandes, Maritime Director, Port of Oakland followed Jacob in making the following observations: “Thank you everyone who participated in that survey. We are finalizing a Land Use Plan… many of you here were asked to be part of a Port market assessment survey. That study will be incorporated into the Land Use Plan. So, it will be useful to have this market survey included in the land use assessment.”

In terms of the priorities identified by maritime stakeholders, Brandes said:” Nothing is a surprise. Most of these issues are things that we are working on. We are working with the City on the overweight (corridor) … In terms of the Turning Basin, it is a critically important project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading that project. We should have an E.I.R (Environmental Impact Report) later this year. When the Board (of Harbor Commissioners) approves the project, it will be an officially approved project… The final construction will not be finalized until 2029. It’s a big and very expensive project.’

In terms of the green technology projects, Brandes noted that “for all of those leaseholders in the Port, you have been contacted to see where you can fit in for the Port’s ability to reach out for grants. We have been working with everyone to see what type of equipment and what kind of infrastructure you need.”

Brandes said that infrastructure is a significant concern: “It should be. It’s a concern of ours. It’s good to see that the key items in the survey are issues that we are working on.”

Opposition to Oakland A’s ballpark and condominiums proposal for the Port’s Howard Terminal reflected the concern of maritime stakeholders that creating housing at the Port would undermine Port operations and maritime-related jobs.

Brandes said he did not believe that housing would be approved by the Board of Harbor Commissioners “because it does not create long term jobs. Whatever is approved for Howard Terminal will need to be for job creation.”

Other priorities would be for “job creation… consistent with our zero emissions transition.”

Brandes urged maritime stakeholders to be active in proposals for the Port and with the City of Oakland that impact maritime operations and especially trucking links in and out of the Port: “This is the time for you to reach out with your projects.”

Maritime Stakeholder Comments

Justin Taylor, Executive Vice President, GSC Logistics, worried that the image of the Port of Oakland was undermined by the attempt to build the ballpark and condominium complex. He said the Port needs to send a clear message that it is committed to maritime businesses: “We have to clear the terminals every day so they can bring in more containers and we can attract more volume here that will increase the need for containers at Howard Terminal the way we had it. The one thing that I think will contribute to that is the presentation of the post-ballpark era of the Port of Oakland. The stigma still exists with us (and) there is a lot of questioning in the market. And Danny Wan addressed this in his ‘State of the Port’ address… We want to get that message out to our clients and potential clients that the Port of Oakland is open for marine business.”

Taylor’s point was reflected in comments expressed by Ellen Joslin Johnck, a consultant for planning and permitting of dredging projects: “The messaging still has to continue… Thank you to everyone who got us to where we are right now. We are a post-ballpark! One of the agencies that did not do what it was supposed to do was the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). They voted the wrong way… I was very concerned about that. The messaging needs to go to them and to the Army Corps of Engineers to know where the Port of Oakland stands today… The Turning Basin, that’s got to be done.”

As far as new ideas, Johnck said: “I am helping the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority to electrify its fleet. Why can’t we get more boat building in the San Francisco Bay? Why are we getting our boats from Washington? What does it take?”