For Immediate Release
August 15, 2003

Oakland, Calif. (August 15, 2003) -The future of the Port of Oakland became a little more certain on Friday, August 8, when the transfer of land from the former Oakland Army Base to the City of Oakland and Port of Oakland was officially recorded with the Alameda County Recorders office. "This culminates years of negotiations and will be a win-win for everyone: the public, the city, and the port," said Board of Port Commissioners President John Protopappas.

This agreement will increase public access to the waterfront, provide the City of Oakland land for development, and allow the Port of Oakland land to meet future container cargo growth. With the conclusion of this agreement, approximately 372 acres of the former Oakland Army Base will be transferred to the City of Oakland, the Port of Oakland, and the East Bay Regional Park District.

"We are positioning the Port of Oakland for future development that regional planning agencies believe will be necessary to handle the anticipated increase in international trade through our seaport over the next 20 years," said Tay Yoshitani, Executive Director of the Port. "This agreement sets the stage for ultimately developing some of the property for new berth development," added Yoshitani.

The port plans to use the land to reconfigure the entire seaport for greater efficiency by creating larger multi-berth terminals. The port will also use the land to relocate and expand the joint intermodal terminal, one of the near-dock rail facilities located at the Port. This additional land also allows the port to accommodate other seaport related services such as container freight stations and transload facilities.

"The Port's share of the former army base will give us tremendous flexibility to expand container yard capacity and create larger near-dock rail facilities. Receiving this land will allow the Port to remain a competitive international gateway as well as strengthen its position as a viable economic source for our region," said Jerry Bridges, Director of Maritime.

The Port of Oakland is the fourth largest container port in the country. Established in 1927 as an independent department of the City of Oakland, the Port spans 19 miles of waterfront and more than 900 acres of maritime terminal facilities. Port facilities include 11 major container terminals covering approximately 5765 acres; the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, which covers an area of over 2,500 acres; more than 1,000 acres of commercial, industrial, recreational, and other land; 950 acres of underdeveloped land; and about 9,700 surface acres of water area.

Contact:
Harold Jones
Director of Communications
(510) 627-1564
hjones@portoakland.com