For Immediate Release
July 18, 2000

OAKLAND, CA - On July 15, maritime legend, Ben Earl Nutter, died at the age of 89. Mr. Nutter served as the chief engineer and then chief executive officer of the Port of Oakland, which grew from a tiny backwater on San Francisco Bay to become one of the world's great Ports. He lived with his wife, Leone, in Santa Rosa, California.

Born in Baldwin, Kansas, May 17, 1911, he was the son of John and Alva Nutter. His father was a portrait photographer who soon moved his family to Los Angeles. Ben went to public schools in Los Angeles, graduated from Glendale Junior College, where he met his wife, Leone, and then earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering at Oregon State University.

Nutter came to Oakland in 1957 from Hawaii, where he had been Superintendent of Public Works and Chairman of the Harbor Board. The Port of Oakland handled a mere 2.5 million tons of cargo a year at that time. When he retired in 1977, to become a consultant for ports throughout the world, Oakland's tonnage had increased to 8.5 million annually.

"Ben Nutter is recognized in the maritime industry as the father of containerization;" stated Charles Foster, current Executive Director of the Port of Oakland. "His accomplishments are legendary. He will long be remembered for the important role he played in making the Port of Oakland a Pacific Gateway."

Nutter was an early supporter of containerization, the packaging of cargo in huge containers, loaded and unloaded by cranes. Cargo was typically loaded by bulk in boxes, barrels and bags; loaded and unloaded by hand. The new technique was strongly resisted by many, but Nutter was not discouraged.

According to Walter A. Abernathy, Nutter's assistant, who later succeeded him as chief executive officer, Oakland responded by building the 140-acre Seventh Street Terminal in 1965. This occurred, despite growing public opposition to Bay fill; not having the funding or the customers to finance it, and despite the fact that containerization was then merely a concept.

Matson Lines, headquartered in San Francisco, moved to Oakland in 1966, after San Francisco declined to build a container terminal for them. Johnson Lines, a Swedish line that had been in San Francisco for many years, moved its huge electric sign to Oakland, along with its business. Sea Land signed on for a container terminal in Oakland and the move to Oakland was underway. At one time, Oakland was the world's third largest container Port, behind only London and New York.

Two years ago, on June 17, 1998, the Port of Oakland renamed its Seventh Street Terminal: "The Ben E. Nutter Terminal."

Nutter's vision, energy and management skills came into play in expanding Oakland's International Airport, also under its jurisdiction; building new commercial facilities at Jack London Square; and swapping land with the East Bay Municipal Utilities District that he then gave to the City of Oakland making way for the building of the Oakland Coliseum sports complex. Why? Because according to Nutter, "It made sense."

Nutter was president and a lifetime honorary member of the American Association of Port Authorities; chairman of the Container Committee of the International Association of Ports and Harbors; president of the U.S. Committee of the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association, member of the Maritime Transportation Research Board and a member of the Review Committee for the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California.

Ben Nutter is survived by his wife, Leone. He will be remembered for his innovative contribution to the Port of Oakland and the entire maritime industry.

The Port of Oakland, established in 1927, is an independent department of the City of Oakland employing approximately 560 people. The Port extends nearly 19 miles along the east of the Oakland Estuary from the border of the City of Emeryville immediately north of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, south to the border of the City of San Leandro. The Port of Oakland encompasses three major enterprises: the international seaport or maritime activity, Oakland International Airport, and a variety of commercial and real estate developments, including the popular Jack London Square.

Photo available upon request.

Contact:
Harold Jones
(510) 672-1564
hjones@portoakland.com

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