TraPac expansion

The Port of Oakland’s second-largest marine terminal is now nearly twice as large. TraPac completed a two-year expansion in 2018 that almost doubled the size of its Oakland footprint. A major U.S. terminal operator, TraPac now manages 123 acres on the Port’s Outer Harbor.

TraPac handles 15 percent of the Port of Oakland’s container volume. During expansion, TraPac redesigned its facility to accelerate cargo flow. The move was the latest in a four-year transformation of Port operations intended to improve efficiency. Here are some of the key changes brought about by TraPac’s expansion, and why they’re important:

• TraPac has expanded from two to three berths. That’s important as cargo volume continues to grow in Oakland. It also helps the terminal manage its primary vessel client – the Ocean Network Express, or ONE. Three Japanese carriers – K Line, MOL and K Line merged in 2018 to form ONE. They’ve consolidated Oakland vessel calls at TraPac.
• The terminal added hundreds of electrical plug-ins for refrigerated containers. Extra capacity is crucial since Japan is Oakland’s leading trade partner for commodities such as beef and pork. While perishable exports wait vessel loading, they can be safely stored in TraPac’s container yard.
• A new gate entrance for truck drivers opened at TraPac in mid-2018. With growing cargo volume comes additional truck traffic. The new terminal gateway accommodates more trucks and moves them in and out quicker. That shortens queues that once formed outside the TraPac gates. It also reduces the amount of time freight haulers spend idling instead of transporting cargo.